Aprendiendo a Programar en Python con mi Computador: Primeros pasos rumbo a cómputos de gran escala en las Ciencias e Ingenierías

Reviewed by Edgar Ceh Varela, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Eastern New Mexico University on 11/5/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This book declares that it is geared toward students of sciences and engineering. Readers well versed in these topics could have a great time reading this book. Essentially, they can see how a language like Python can assist them in solving many of their engineering difficulties.
I enjoy how the book includes a lot of other resources (such as URL links) that readers may use to further their Python knowledge.

More visual content, in my opinion, is essential.
Figures, in my opinion, and based on my experience, are required to clarify some of the concepts.
When teaching the concept of loops, for example, it is advisable to present a novice programmer a figure with the diagram for a certain type of loop, as well as an example and a table to explain how variables change on each iteration.

Overall, I believe that this book benefits specific types of readers who have greater knowledge and expertise with mathematical concepts and are adept at solving problems of this nature.
Relative Error and Mathematical Induction Proofs, for example, are high-level subjects covered in the book.
I'd recommend this book to higher-level readers who need to learn how to code in order to address problems that are comparable to the ones offered as examples.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

There were no serious content issues that I could discover, and the text appeared to be correct.
However, the book fails to indicate that Python is already installed on Linux-based PCs.
The book seems to provide generic installation instructions for Python and Anaconda. The instructions, however, are mostly applicable to a Linux system. The directions will be difficult to follow for Windows users.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content presented in this book is current. It uses Python 3, and the libraries presented are also available.

Clarity rating: 5

The examples in the book are succinct, but I don't think they'll be easy to follow for someone who is new to Python and with not much experience in Math.
Readers may be intimidated by the examples since they employ complicated mathematical operations. In Chapter 5, for instance, the "Bisection method to calculate real roots of one-dimensional functions" is used as an example.

Consistency rating: 5

The language and terminology used in the chapters are consistent.
Every chapter includes examples of mathematical concepts and how Python may be used to solve problems connected to them.

Modularity rating: 4

The book is divided into chapters that address various topics.
Some chapters, such as Chapter 5, could be split. This chapter covers numerous concepts that should be covered in separate chapters of the book.
The concepts of lists, tuples, and dictionaries, for example, should be combined into a single chapter.
As it is, these essential topics are underserved in terms of coverage.
Loops and Functions, likewise, should be separate chapters. More discussion about these subjects can be developed in this manner, and the reader will not be overwhelmed by the amount of material presented in a single chapter.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

Overall, the layout of this book is logical. Some topics, however, are not covered in the order that most introductory books do. Lists, tuples, and dictionaries, for example, are frequently displayed before functions.
Another point to consider is the Appendices. They're just in a few chapters. Similarly, I believe that some of the information offered in them (for example, A1 in Chapter 4) should be included in the chapter rather than as an appendix. Appendices are commonly considered as optional reading by readers.

Interface rating: 5

The book is available as a PDF file. The external website link works, and interested readers can download the book without difficulty.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I could not find any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

There is no offensive language in the text.

Comments

Overall, I consider this book to be helpful for university-level students and with orientation in Mathematical Sciences.
However, I believe that the book may be overwhelming to students from non-math backgrounds, as the examples supplied may be intimidating.
This could also be the case for younger kids who have no prior math experience at this level.