Product Description

Until recently, all of the interactions between objects in virtual 3D worlds have been based on calculations performed using linear algebra. Linear algebra relies heavily on coordinates, however, which can make many geometric programming tasks very specific and complex-often a lot of effort is required to bring about even modest performance enhancements. Although linear algebra is an efficient way to specify low-level computations, it is not a suitable high-level language for geometric programming.

Geometric Algebra for Computer Science presents a compelling alternative to the limitations of linear algebra. Geometric algebra, or GA, is a compact, time-effective, and performance-enhancing way to represent the geometry of 3D objects in computer programs. In this book you will find an introduction to GA that will give you a strong grasp of its relationship to linear algebra and its significance for your work. You will learn how to use GA to represent objects and perform geometric operations on them. And you will begin mastering proven techniques for making GA an integral part of your applications in a way that simplifies your code without slowing it down.

Customer Reviews (4)

ok, but...
It's a good book, but the mathematics is poorly treated, not enough rigorous as would be expected.

very good text
This is the text I would first recommend to anyone involved in geometrical programming who would like to learn geometrical algebra.

An excellent introduction to the subject.
The book Geometric Algebra For Computer Science, by Dorst, Fontijne, and Mann has one of the best introductions to the subject that I have seen.

It contains particularly good introductions to the dot and wedge products and how they can be applied and what they can be used to model.After one gets comfortable with these ideas they introduce the subject axiomatically.Much of the pre-axiomatic introductory material is based on the use of the scalar product, defined as a determinant.You'll have to be patient to see where and why that comes from, but this choice allows the authors to defer some of the mathematical learning overhead until one is ready for the ideas a bit better.

Having started study of the subject with papers of Hestenes, Cambridge, and Baylis papers, I found the alternate notation for the generalized dot product (L and backwards L for contraction) distracting at first but adjusting to it does not end up being that hard.

This book has three sections, the first covering the basics, the second covering the conformal applications for graphics, and the last covering implementation.As one reads geometric algebra books it is natural to wonder about this, and the pros, cons and efficiencies of various implementation techniques are discussed.

There are other web resources available associated with this book that are quite good. The best of these is GAViewer, a graphical geometric calculator that was the product of some of the research that generated this book. Performing the GAViewer tutorial exercises is a great way to build some intuition to go along with the math, putting the geometric back in the algebra.

There are specific GAViewer exercises that you can do independent of the book, and there is also an excellent interactive tutorial available.Browse the book website, or Search for '2003 Game Developer Lecture, Interactive GA tutorial. UvA GA Website: Tutorials'.Even if one decided not to learn GA, using this to play with the graphical cross product manipulation, with the ability to rotate viewpoints, is quite neat and worthwhile.

A reader from Los Alamos, NM
Geometric Algebra (GA) is a unifying mathematical language that should be taught instead of or at least in combination with traditional vector analysis. Most other books on GA are aimed at Physicists. This book is a better match for Engineers and Programmers.The authors are all active researchers in applications of GA. They have done a comprehensive and up to date job of collecting, organizing and presenting the material for both beginners and those who follow the development of GA on the web. The examples and problems use GAViewer, an easy to learn programming language with an Open GL view window that can be downloaded for free from the book website. Using GAViewer with the book is very good way to learn GA, especially the 5D Conformal model of 3D space. The authors hold nothing back. Between the book, the code and the website everything is there to make learning GA fun and useful. I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description

This text makes in-depth explorations of a broad range of theoretical topics in computer science. It plunges into the applications of the abstract concepts in order to confront and address the skepticism of readers, and instill in them an appreciation for the usefulness of theory. A two-part presentation integrates logic and formal language—both with applications. Chapter topics cover mathematical preliminaries, propositional logic, proving things: why and how, predicate logic, proving with predicates, program verification, logic programming, language models for computer science, language models, finite automata and their languages, regular expressions, Lex: a tool for building lexical scanners, context-free grammars, pushdown automata and parsing, and turing machines. For future computer scientists.

Customer Reviews (6)

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY????
To all. I am sorry but this book is horrible. It offers no solution's in the back, nor is there a solutions manual. SO HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHECK MY ANSWERS??? Please tell me. And don't say go to the office hours because they aren't always available.

...but get this, there is a solutions manual, but students can't have access to it because the AUTHOR doesn't want his audience to know the secrets behind the answers. The truth is, avoid this class at all costs!! This book SUCKSSSS!!! And I literally mean it... how you gonna quiz me on questions in the book that I can't even check to see if I got the answers right on the HW? SMH AUTHOR... smh. You shouldn't make this book $100.00 and offer the students few pages, resources, and good explanations to what you're trying to explain.

This book reminds me of an elegent proof
If you are looking for a cookbook or picture book approach or googled snippet of information this is not the book for you. What you will find is a book written with logical clarity usually missing in computer science and discrete math books.If you like to think logically and understand a topic instead of just memorizing it and if you are interested in the role of abstraction, logic and proofs in computer science, this is the book for you.

Pure Garbage
This book is one the worst books I have used. I took this class with one of the authors and this book seems to be really lacking and so does the author when it comes to teaching. Get something better. But you will probably be stuck with having to get this for the course since the homeworks are from this book.

The worst book I have ever read.
The book is very poor on examples and the ones that it has do not make any sense. Topics like automata and removing nondeterminisim are not explained well enough(only one non-sense example for nondeterminism). Awful diagrams. It is not going step by step to understand Prolog and Lex. In short, if you have choice don't buy the book and if you have bought it already, don't waste time reading it. Unfortunately, I had not other option, I have bought the book and am reading it.

I Just Don't Understand Why We Use This Book
So far, my impression of this book is this.First, it's not very well written, and is often hard to understand.Concepts are not very well elaborated on.I'm having to go on the net to get better explanations...Second, I wish they would use more pictures for certain concepts, definately not a book for a visual learner.Honestly, I don't know why we are required to use this book for class, but I guess if I must, I'll use it.Professors should read this rating thing before they get these books...Hope this helps. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Robust statistics book with a funny title
The authors offer a lot of useful material.However, they do not offer a bridge between the jargon of signal processing (filters) and robust statistics. It would have been much more useful with that having been done.

It is written in the jargon of the robust statistics folks.If you have not read a book on that subject, you probably will be more than a little lost. If you understand signal processing and rubust statistics well, you don't need the book.

Their main interest is in 2D processing and when I have to do some image processing, I will look at the book again and perhaps find something redeeming. I find Arce's book on Nonlinear Signal Processing quite a bit more useful in the general case.

It is high priced at the used price.It is definitely not worth the full price.A good book on statistical signal processing and a good book on robust statistics cost less and has more value.

Good For My Career
This book has scored career points for me several times. Most engineers learn about linear digital filters in school. Sometimes they will wrestle for weeks trying to solve a problem with a linear filter. That's when Icome swinging in out of the trees with a simple non-linear filter to solvethe problem. This book has been my best resource to back me up.

I'vefound that I dive right into any chapter and get what I need. There arenumerous examples from image processing which show the effects of thevarious non-linear digital filters visually.

Although the book is biasedto filtering problem in image processing, I've used the sections onM-estimators, L-estimators, R-estimators, median filters, and the variantsof order statistic filters in many problems not related to images. Oneparticularly good example, solved an echo problem with determining range toa mobile phone in a multipath environment. The reflections off buildings asthe phone traveled is a highly non-linear problem. My colleages workedfurously for weeks trying to optimize an IIR filter with many"special" cases. I proposed an order statistic filter that wasproven to solve the problem in one day. This book is my secret weapon.

Isthis book better than newer ones on digital filters? In some chapters itis. However, I find this book as good as anyI've seen. If this is yourfirst purchase of a book on nonlinear digital filters, you can't go wrong. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Fun
A refreshing approach to learning Python. The examples are thought provoking, instructional with real world applicability.

This book is the perfect foundation on which to build your Python programming skills
I entered a graduate program in computational linguistics with a linguistics background with no computer science or programming experience. All of my specialization courses use Python and, unfortunately, my university doesn't offer Python courses. Discovering that I wasn't all that wonderful at self-teaching myself to program, I resolved to take an introductory Java programming course offered by my university's computer science department. The course served as an excellent foundation and made this text, which I think is already very clear and accessible, that much easier to follow. My opinion is that this book would make an excellent text for an introductory course in Python programming or a wonderful resource to someone who knows a bit about programming but would like to understand Python. I had tried other Python books in the past, but found myself either lost or bored. The authors of this book know how to hold their audience's attention.

Great Book for My Return to Programming
I had not programmed for 30 years and wanted to do a bit for a small project. After trying several Python books I found this one. I suspect that no one programming book will appeal to all, but this one was a great book to get me started again. Well-written. Good examples. Clear explanations.

A fine 'first timers' pick for any computer or general lending library
PRACTICAL PROGRAMMING: AN INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SCIENCE USING PYTHON provides an invaluable guide to the basics of computer programming, allowing those with a bare-bones introduction to learn programming fundamentals, working with databases, downloading data, and more. From using functions to debugging systems and designing algorithms, this covers all the essentials and is a fine 'first timers' pick for any computer or general lending library.

A Superior Introduction to Computer Science & Data Structures Using Python
As a result of superior pedagogy and a language that includes built in features like lists and dictionaries, and a standard library that comes with everything; this instructional book provides an introduction to Computer Science and Data Structures which excels using the modern programming language Python.This text is much more than a learn to program in "XXX" book, it gives a firm foundation for all subsequent courses in Computer Science and practical examples of how Data Structures are employed in real world problems involving graphics and databases.It also gives the necessary demonstrations of algorithms for Searching and Sorting, and a modern introduction to Object-Oriented programming.

In short, this volume provides an excellent foundation text in Computer Science, while incorporating instruction in the Python Language and giving practical examples of how to employ the Algorithms and Data Structures in real-world situations.It will give the student a strong basis for all further study in Computer Science and Programming. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes the aspects of mathematical logic which are related to computer science. This book deals with both the peculiarities of logical systems and the requirements of computer science. In this edition, the proofs and explanations have been increased and rewritten, with new terms and notations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Service
Good condition, Delievered as scheduled. Even sent an email to make sure everything was ok. ... Read more

Product Description
B.E.S.T (Basic Engineering Series and Tools) consists of modularized textbooks offering virtually every topic and specially likely to be covered in an introductory engineering course. All the texts boast distinguished authors and the most currant content. These inexpensive BEST modules are easily combined with each other to construct the ideal intro to Engineering course. The goal of this series is to provide the educational community with material that is timely, affordable, of high quality, and flexible in how it is used. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

textbook_critic
This computer programming text will serve students well both as as a text or as a quick authoritative desk reference.

The authors'focus on answering the most common questions asked by beginning students in C computer programming is great. They also spend quite a bit of effort showing the differences among subtle symbology.

Note I think the people who invented C language did a huge injustice to all students of C by being very sloppy with their chosen set of symbols especially for "Pointers" -- which is often used in solving most intermediate and advanced programming problems.

This book tries to get to the root of all the confusion and sloppiness of the orignal inventors and thus end up greatly helping beginning students. Once students overcome all the sloppy terms and symbols carelessly adopted by the original designers then they can begin to enjoy the C langauge and make it do some wonderful things.But the learning curve is typically long and tedious to slowly overcome all the nuances in the language.

Sometimes I even feel that C language should be phased out completely and allow C++ to be the sole langauge for all beginning student computer programmers.But people are reluctant to change anything -- just like the '80's attempt trying to phase out English dimensional sytem with the Metric system.

Again this text understands all the areas of sloppiness that lead often to confusion and then goes to work at clearly explaining them all.

Normally it's a tough job to clear up others confusion but these 2 authors apparently were highly motivated and committed at trying to take a good stab at all inherent problems incommunication -- which, in my view, most technical people don't pay enough attention to. They seem to think that after they design some complex system it's someone elses problem to figure out what they designed.

The original designers of C language certainly have caused a lot of unnecessary headaches for many beginning students trying to learn C; and this book focuses on being a Bridge to understanding this shadowy language which, in my view, again should be phased out altogether, or the designers should fix the confusing symbology and often unnecessary cryptic shorthand for almost everything in their C language.Note C was designed when computer memory was [more money] and limited, and the designers got very creative at working under this environment. But did they think about future students trying to learn this often confusing and thus, difficult langauge?

The only suggestion for the book is that the publisher should have used larger font for titles and subtitles and theoretically should have aimed for new page for each subsection.I could never undestand publisher's use of the bottom of a page for major subsection.

G. Jerry Sagliocca, P.E.
Schenectady, New York ... Read more

Product Description
Covers 80 key topics grouped into 12 themes, from operating systems and data communication to graphics and artificial intelligence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Brief, concise, but a bit dated
I'm a newbie to CS so this was just about the right size book for me (138 pages). It's plain, and for the most part, in simple language. I think Dr. Covington should update his EZ-101 Study Key for the late 90's. ... Read more

Product Description
Useful guide covers two major subdivisions of combinatorics--enumeration and graph theory--with emphasis on conceptual needs of computer science. Each part is divided into a "basic concepts" chapter emphasizing intuitive needs of the subject, followed by four "topics" chapters that explore these ideas in depth. Invaluable practical resource for graduate students, advanced undergraduates, and professionals with an interest in algorithm design and other aspects of computer science and combinatorics. Unabridged republication of original 1985 edition. References for Linear Order & for Graphs, Trees, and Recursions. 219 figures.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Suitable for a graduate level course
While most computer science departments require their students to take calculus, with few exceptions it is a skill that they will not use. The mathematics used by computer scientists is almost exclusively discrete in nature. In fact, assumptions concerning continuity can often lead to subtle errors in programming, the laws of algebra do not universally apply in computing. This book presents most of the key ideas of discrete mathematics applied to computing and the coverage is thorough and detailed.
It is split into two parts, linear order and graphs, trees and recursion. The emphasis is on detailed problem solving rather than explanations of the foundations. For example, there is a detailed example of a lexicographic bucket sort on page 16. The material is presented using higher level mathematical notation, so it is best suited for graduate level courses. A large number of exercises are included, but no solutions are given.
If you are looking for a text to be used in classes that have significant discrete mathematics prerequisites, then this book is certainly appropriate. It would be best suited for students with a great deal of programming experience.

Excellent reference for data structure algorithm complexity.
This excellent reference has numerous examples, definitions and exercises covering trees, graphs, linked lists etc.This book provides a great companion to any data structures text. ... Read more

Product Description

The third edition of Languages and Machines: An Introduction to the Theory of Computer Science provides readers with a mathematically sound presentation of the theory of computer science.  The theoretical concepts and associated mathematics are made accessible by a "learn as you go" approach that develops an intuitive understanding of the concepts through numerous examples and illustrations. 

Customer Reviews (14)

Clueless reviews
This is a college textbook, meant to be used in conjunction with a class. Some of the reviews call it boring or difficult to understand. No kidding! This is an advanced class. In my college, it's co-listed as a computer science and mathematics course. Were people really expecting a Steven King novel?

Solutions are available
A number of reviewers have mentioned that there are no solutions available at the back of the book.This is true.But there are solutions for about 1/3 of the exercises available from the publisher.If you are a prof, it might be an idea to obtain these and pass them on to your students; that's what I'm doing.If you are a student, talk to your prof about it, and if you are studying for comps, ask your supervisor.Here is the author's website for the book, which contains information on how to obtain the solutions: [...]

Now that said,I just finished choosing between about 6 books in the area.None of them are perfect.I ended up selecting this one, as it has good examples and clear definitions, and the coverage we need.

One reviewer mentioned the emphasis on Turing Machines as a strong point.My point of view is that Turing machines are not a model that means much to students.If I teach students computability with TMs and then ask them if they can solve the halting problem for C (suitably idealized), they don't see the connection. (Even though I've told them.) When it comes to complexity, the connection is even more tenuous.One of the weaknesses of this book is that it does not treat the RAM model or similar models that are more like the language and machines that students use (and hopefully program) every day.Personally, I'd like to see a book that has no TMs at all, or relegate them to an optional chapter. Anyway, this is a fault of the genre.There are only a few texts that don't focus on TMs, even for complexity.

No Examples ,No Answers,No Hints
Besides the fact that the book is "dry", in which most Math theory based books are,the examples are just the basis step towards solving a problem.I equate it to teaching a child how to add, and just giving them the example "1 + 0", then assume they can figure out the rest.There are no answers, either in the back of the book for particular exercies, nor was a study guide made available.What is really shocking is that it's the most expensive book out there! Not to mention that there isn't any programming steps made available.Great text for a Math major ... horrible textbook for Computer Science Majors, mainly becausecomputer science majors would want to see programming examples and may not be as strongly math oriented as a Math major would be.

A Good Book for a Tough Subject
Abstract language theory is hard, but Languages and Machines does a very good job of explaining the subject step by step. The topics are covered extremely thoroughly and with just the right amount of rigor.As for those who claim it's not exciting enough, you can't get blood out of a stone.Only the most dedicated computer scientist and mathematicians will find this topic interesting.Even so, this book does a superb job of tying theory to application (e.g., the machines one can use language theory to build) for even the most obscure concepts (like the Greibach Normal Form).

That being said, there are a few problems.First, the author's claim that this is a book for undergrads is not credible (except perhaps at MIT or CalTech).Even my graduate students have to read sections multiple times to "get it".Second, the author needs to provide solutions to selected problems at the back of the textbook.Most theory books do this, but not this one.This is a major weakness, especially given the difficulty of the material.Lastly, Sudkamp's proofs are extremely dry and very difficult to follow.He should take a cue from Sipser's "Intro to the Theory of Computation" book (which is generally too abstract for most students)and introduce "proof ideas" to give the big picture for important proofs.

emphasises the Turing machine
[A review of the 3RD EDITION, 2005.]

Sudkamp gives a formal and rigorous explanation of what constitutes a language. Where this is deliberately taken to include both natural (spoken) languages and programming languages. To do this, you should note that the treatment is necessarily non-trivial. It is not a lightweight book, conceptually.

The book summarises decades of work in this field, that have attempted to reduce human languages to a form that could be "understood" by a machine. So he explains the various techniques that have arisen. Like finite state machines (finite automata).

Notably, he discusses what is a Turing machine. A universal computing engine, that all other computers can map to. Such a Turing machine might be deterministic or non-deterministic. You can learn very powerful unifying ideas.

From the construct of a Turing machine, the book uses this to delve into problems that are NP complete or P complete. The implementation of a solution as steps to be done by a Turing machine are elegant, and show how such a machine, while an idealisation, can be used to give provable results. ... Read more

Product Description
Revised And Updated, The Second Edition Of Explorations In Computer Science: A Guide To Discovery Provides Introductory Computer Science Students With A Hands-On Learning Experience.Designed To Expose Students To A Variety Of Subject Areas, This Laboratory Manual OffersChallenging Exercises In Problem Solving And Experimentation.Each Lab Includes Objectives, References, Background Information, And An In-Depth Activity, And Numerous Exercises For Deeper Investigation Of The Topic Under Discussion. ... Read more

Product Description
Computer Science & Perl Programming: Best of The Perl Journal is the first of three volumes from the archives of The Perl Journal that O'Reilly has exclusive rights to distribute. This book is a compilation of the best TPJ has to offer: 71 articles providing a comprehensive tour of how experts implement computer science concepts in the real world, with code walkthroughs, case studies, and explanations of difficult techniques that can't be found in any other book.This insightful volume covers:

tips for beginnersregular expressionsdata structuresnetworkingdatabasessoftware development processesobject-oriented programmingadvanced Perl programming techniques

Customer Reviews (5)

Good but not great
The material is great, but the first edition (at least) suffers from enough typesetting flaws to make some content difficult to follow. There are several instances where the prose indicates some text is supposed to be highlighted in some way but it is not e.g; bold to indicate differences from an earlier code listing, or variables missing the distinguishing overlines resulting in incomprehensible formulae.

Good, but over my head
I enjoyed learning the algorithms they presented, but I don't have much use for them in my work.This is a good collection for those who are interested in doing very difficult work in the easiest Language to Succeed in; Perl.

Absolutely lovable and entirely unique
The title is misleading in that it doesn't give the full impact of what's going on with this book. This book was written by somnething of a who's-who of the Perl community and it's similiarly a massive aggregation the best applications of nearly all of Perl's features. It's true that it's edited versions of TPJ articles but TPJ has always been hands-on and the feel is more as though the best pages were ripped out of already great Perl books to be arranged and edited into one volume. I urge you to think of this as a book in the vein of Programming Perl but written by everyone but Larry Wall. =)

Because nearly every article was written as the result of a Perl feature manifesting itself to violently break through a hard problem, this book contains a collection of examples that no single human could possible contrieve. Other books (even Programming Perl by comparison) relatively thoroughly demonstrate and document the language features but only this one shows each feature shining as it solves real problems in real problems taken from real life. You'll get a feel not only for the syntax of features but how to think about them. You'll start to spot new and better applications for Perl's features in your own programming work.

Compared to other books, it's more verbose than Programming Perl and it neglects the bare basics and moves much further with the ideas. It examines more macro scale ideas than the Perl Cookbook and generalizes thier applications rather than giving numerous specifics. The closest example I can think of is the styles and much of the contents of Advanced Perl Programming, Learning Regular Expressions, Learning Algorithms with Perl and several others rolled into one.

It goes into more depth on why things are the way they are than any other Perl book. For example, one chapter demonstrates how things would go wrong if the order of operators were different than how they are and using the good and bad arrangements walks the reader through infering what the relative orders are. Where other books list the order of operations in a matter-of-fact way, this one leaves you with a sense of order and rationality of things that your intuition and creativity can feed off of when programming.

Quoting from the foreword (Hi Mark Jason Dominus!): "It does not suffer from the usual flaw of the anthology, which is that the best you can hope for is that more than half of the articles are above average. On the contrary, it is by turns brilliant, witty, and profound.". And from the preface: "In a sense, this book was written very carefully and methodically over six years. ... Every issue, there were a lot of new subscribers, many of whom were new to Perl. Common sense dictated that I should include beginner articles in every issue, but I didn't like where that line of reasoning led. If I catered to the novices in every issue, far too many articles would be about beginner topics. ... So I did something very unusual for a magazine: I made it easy (and cheap) for subscribers to get all of the back issues when they subscribed, so they'd be able to enjoy the introductory material. A side effect of this approach was that the articles hang together very well: they tell a consistent "story" in a steady progress from TPJ #1 to TPJ #20...".

Perl's books have always been one of it's major strengths and I'm happy this trend continues. Computer Science & Perl Programming is delightful.

Computer Science and Perl Programming
Ahh how I miss The Perl Journal. This volume brings me right back to the good old days of humor and fine code. Unfortunately, The Perl Journal has been relegated to a quarterly supplement appearing in Sys Admin magazine. Thankfully, some of the knowledge found in the pages of The Perl Journal has been compiled here.

Computer Science and Perl Programming is a collection of 70 articles from The Perl Journal. It is the first volume of a set of three and, in my opinion, the best volume. Jon Orwant, the original editor of The Perl Journal, has done a great job in putting together this volume.

This volume is divided into tips for beginners, regular expressions, data structures, networking, databases, software development processes, object-oriented programming, and advanced Perl programming techniques. I particularly enjoyed the regular expressions, and networking sections. The data structures section was also very useful, as data structures in Perl can tend to be a bit odd. This volume has a good bit of programming knowledge crammed into it, and seems to be a bit more serious than the other two volumes.

All in all, a great read and a great reference to keep around. I would definitely advise anyone interested in Perl to pick up this set, you won't regret it.

Great collection
Computer Science and Perl Programming is a collection of 70-odd articles from The Perl Journal magazine. As the title suggests it focusses on more of the theoretical side of perl. This is the first volume in a series of three books. The second one focusses on web and graphics, and the third one on games and diversions.

CS & PP is divided into seven sections as follows: Beginner Concepts, Regular Expressions, Computer Science, Programming Techniques, Software Development, Networking and Databases. The articles are straight reprints from TPJ and are written by a number of leading perl people such as Larry Wall, Damian Conway, Mark Jason Dominus, etc. Jon Orwant, the publisher of TPJ is the editor for this book.

I haven't finished this book yet but I've greatly enjoyed the articles I've read. A vast array of topics are covered, such as B-Trees, random number generators, benchmarking, makemaker, DBI and even Win32::ODBC and Microsoft Office. There's something for every perl programmer in this book. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description

Juraj Hromkovic takes the reader on an elegant route through the theoretical fundamentals of computer science. The author shows that theoretical computer science is a fascinating discipline, full of spectacular contributions and miracles. The book also presents the development of the computer scientist's way of thinking as well as fundamental concepts such as approximation and randomization in algorithmics, and the basic ideas of cryptography and interconnection network design.

Product Description
Get a working knowledge of digital signal processing for computer science applications

The field of digital signal processing (DSP) is rapidly exploding, yet most books on the subject do not reflect the real world of algorithm development, coding for applications, and software engineering. This important new work fills the gap in the field, providing computer professionals with a comprehensive introduction to those aspects of DSP essential for working on today's cutting-edge applications in speech compression and recognition and modem design. The author walks readers through a variety of advanced topics, clearly demonstrating how even such areas as spectral analysis, adaptive and nonlinear filtering, or communications and speech signal processing can be made readily accessible through clear presentations and a practical hands-on approach. In a light, reader-friendly style, Digital Signal Processing: A Computer Science Perspective provides:
* A unified treatment of the theory and practice of DSP at a level sufficient for exploring the contemporary professional literature
* Thorough coverage of the fundamental algorithms and structures needed for designing and coding DSP applications in a high level language
* Detailed explanations of the principles of digital signal processors that will allow readers to investigate assembly languages of specific processors
* A review of special algorithms used in several important areas of DSP, including speech compression/recognition and digital communications
* More than 200 illustrations as well as an appendix containing the essential mathematical background ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Both pragmatic and very readable.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, this book is destined to become a technical classic. It was written in a kind-of light style, with humorous anecdotes mixed in. And, unlike most DSP books--aimed at graduate level electrical engineering students--it doesn't assume a knowledge of advanced calculus. In fact, it doesn't assume a background in computer science math, either (the author's got that covered in Appendix A: Whirlwind Exposition of Mathematics). In the introduction, Dr. Stein bills his book as the only signal processing book you'll ever need, and it is amazingly comprehensive.

It needs to be updated, though.

Where's computer Science perspective
One of the worst books I've seen on digital signal processing. Can't figure out how this book got 5 stars. Check Discrete-Time Signal Processing by Alan V. Oppenheimor Digital Signal Processing
by John G. Proakis

Great explanation of DSP for the computer scientist
This book does what no other book I know does - lays out the theory of DSP in plain language for the computer scientist. This book will probably seem a little on the light side for electrical engineering students and professionals, but even they will benefit from the author's plain-language descriptions and instructive figures. The author has an easy test to see if you have sufficient mathematical background to understand this book - he says you should look at the appendix, which is entitled "Whirlwind Exposition of Mathematics", and if at least half of the subject matter is familiar, then you are mathematically qualified.

The material is presented in a very unconventional fashion. Although the title of part one, "Signals", indicates a traditionally organized DSP textbook, this section contains a chapter on Noise that doesn't seem to fit in with the other four chapters.

Part two is entitled "Systems", and covers ground you wouldn't generally expect in a general DSP text. It goes all the way from answering the simple question "Why Convolve?" to filter design techniques to correlation and biological signal processing. You won't be ready to design biomedical devices after you read this chapter, but it outlines some underlying principles of speech processing and neural networks in very accessible language and prepares the student for further study.

Part 3, "Architectures and Algorithms", is where this textbook really shines. In this section the author equates many DSP problems to graph theory and manipulation, deals with spectral analysis and correlates matrix algebra techniques to finding sinusoids in noise, and presents filter implementation in computer program format via pseudocode. The author also talks about how to produce mathematical functions that the DSP processing language you are using may not implement, and about the basic structure of a DSP embedded system.

The final section of the book, "Applications", takes a whirlwind tour of many of the aspects of communications signal processing and speech processing where DSP is essential. This is not meant to be a definitive text on these two broad complex topics. Rather, it is meant to bring to life the concepts and algorithms discussed up to this point.

If you are an electrical engineer, I would say a better choice would be "Discrete Time Signal Processing", since there is a more mathematical presentation of concepts that is more comfortable to individuals in that discipline. However, if you are a computer scientist, I would start with this book and then go on to more formal texts once you get the big picture presented here. The one negative thing I would say about this book is that I think it tends to oversimplify the mathematical complexity of DSP's sister discipline of random processes and noise. However, for the core subject of DSP from the computer scientist's perspective, I recommend it.

NEWINSIGHT
Within 850+pagesMR.Stein has touch all the major aspects of DSP theory &applications, includeing statistical concepts too.Though I am not a computer personal (but electronic) presentation & explanations have been stimulated me to have a different synthesis of concepts & ideas of DSP.This naturally led me to a good understanding with a good insight.Richhistorical details & end of the chapter biblographical notes are very useful features for a mature reader.Although my vivews may not berelevant to a absolute biginer this type of book is a invaluable at certain stage of one's education.Typhos are a little problem.

An outstanding accomplishment in DSP
This book really lives up to its name.The author, Jonathan Stein, has taken a tremendous amount of DSP subject matter and hand-tailored it for a perfect fit for readers with a computer-science background.While the relevant math is still there, the book excels at providing easily accessible and readable explanations and descriptions of the various topics.As you read the various chapters, it becomes very apparent that the author has truly understood, assimilated, and has put into practice virtually all of the information from his listed references and his real-world experience.Stein is simultaneously a practicing expert in the field, an academic master of each subject, and a patient, thoughtful and humorous teacher who knows well the unique needs of his readers.

Computer scientists will appreciate the six chapters (12-17) devoted to Architectures and Algorithms.This emphasis is what sets this book apart from the many other DSP books out on the market.I especially enjoyed Chapter 17, Digital Signal Processors. After reading Sections 1-3, I finally understood the significance of the MAC (Multiply-and-Accumulate) operation, and exactly how a DSP processor allows it to be executed in one clock cycle.Section 7 guides the new DSP programmer with Stein's well-conceived CHILD's play system of DSP task development.And on the humorous side, in Section 8 describing DSP Development Teams, we are told, "Your boss has given you five days to come up to speed (in understanding the new system).In your cubicle you find a stack of heavy documents.The first thing you have to learn is what a TLA is."You will find yourself breaking out with stifled bursts of nervous laughter as this all-too-true scenario unfolds.

Definitely give this book a try and you'll come to understand and appreciate DSP in a new light from Stein's unique perspective.It will make a welcome and refreshing addition to your DSP library. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent collections of computer science appetizers
While nearly everyone knows the broad range of computer applications, there are few who know the depth and breadth of knowledge that makes up the discipline of computer science. In fact, it can be argued that in the near future many of the fields that are now independent will be considered as just another sub-discipline of computer science. This book, a collection of brief essays in the field, is another spike to be used in nailing down that argument.
A wide variety of topics are covered, from neural networks and information transfer to algorithm analysis and complexity. While each essay is necessarily brief, it satisfies all the criteria of an explanatory vignette. Brief, with a sufficient foundation for further study, and pointers to the next rung on the ladder of understanding. Each section also contains a small collection of supplementary problems. It would have helped if solutions or at least hints to these problems had been included.
There are times when a phrase is used without introduction; however, that is not a problem, as an icon index is used to group the topics together.
The finest introduction to the ever expanding range of computer science that I have ever seen, this book should be read by all those interested in computers. Even experts will be enriched by what they find.

Published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission. ... Read more

Product Description
This text is intended to teach the fundamentals of physics to computer scientists, electrical engineers, and others interested in electronics. The presentation is thus directed toward understanding the fundamental physics of how a computer works, while still providing a broad and effective one-year introduction to classical and modern physics. The first half of the book includes many of the topics of a standard introductory physics course, but with the selection and presentation tailored to be of use in the second half, which develops the physics of semiconductor devices. This second part covers the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, solid-state physics, crystal structure, semiconductor devices, and logic circuits. The mathematical complexities are alleviated by intuitive physical arguments. Students are encouraged to use their own programming skills to solve problems. Some knowledge of calculus is a prerequisite, and the second part can serve by itself as an introduction to the physics of electronic materials and devices for students who have had a standard two-semester introductory physics course.In this second edition, the material on electronic devices has been updated and the coverage of carrier transport, operation of bipolar transistors and MOSFETs, and fabrication of integrated circuits has been expanded. New material includes descriptions of the fundamentals of solar cells, dynamic random-access memories, charged-coupled-device imaging arrays, and of such compound semiconductor devices as light-emitting diodes and heterostructure lasers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Too short and not enough info
This book does not elaborate the topics . It is very short and not enough info to gain knowledge. So I am looking for a good study guide for this book, it might help. ... Read more

Product Description
This book, updated and improved, introduces the mathematics that support advanced computer programming and the analysis of algorithms. The book's primary aim is to provide a solid and relevant base of mathematical skills. It is an indispensable text and reference for computer scientists and serious programmers in virtually every discipline. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Actually delivers in a readable way
After having had a bad result from other Ronald L. Graham, Erdos on Graphs : His Legacy of Unsolved Problems, books and articles. I was surprised with this book. I think that Dr. Knuth seems to turn what he touches to gold? I kind of wish I had read this one several years ago when
I wasn't as familiar with the material.
I was amazed to find the recursion for the Eulerian numbers of the second type and a host of very useful identities as well.

Great, great math book ...
How often do you get to have two of the giants of mathematics Graham and Knuth co-author (with Patashnik) a book like this - even suitable for high-school students?

Don't let the binding or whatever fools you, this is a serious math book and serious thinking is required.The material is broad and interesting.I think the book can be used as a supplement text to any of the discrete math/algorithm course (or just leisure reading).It will serve you years to come.Extra bonus - the marginal notes.It may be annoying to you or not but I found it funny at times.

I echo the same feeling as some of the readers here - keep this one always within reach.This is a future classic!

enjoying the struggle
really good book, some times it's bit hard to comprehend, but I'm enjoying the struggle.

Long Live Concrete Mathematics!
I had the pleasure of taking the course "Concrete Mathematics" with Ron Graham as an undergrad engineering student at Princeton University in the late 1980s, and in retrospect it was quite possibly the highlight of my academic career. Likewise, this text has a cherished spot in my bookcase even to this day. The material is challenging, sometimes downright frustrating, but good stuff nonetheless... and as others have noted, very useful! The skills gained are specifically tailored for application in fields such as computer science, really a number of disciplines; and complement what one learns in the more "standard" math courses. How many academic texts have become must-haves even beyond your college years? For me, only this one. I'd give it fifteen stars if I could.

A difficult but worthwhile mathematics text
This book's title can be misleading. I would say it is more of an advanced textbook on the mathematics that is a foundation for computer science than a foundational book on the mathematics of computer science. I think this misreading of the title and thus the book's content is what is behind much of the heartache that readers have when trying to tackle it. This book expands on the "Mathematical Preliminaries" portion of "The Art of Computer Programming" series of books by Knuth, and thus this book has a style much like that series of books. The book is complete and clear, but it is also densely packed with lots of theory and proofs and will require much effort and time to understand well. It is really not meant to be an applied mathematics textbook at all. I show the table of contents next. Note that there are exercises at the conclusion of each chapter with solutions in the back of the book. However, most of the exercises are not so simple that you can just glimpse at the solution and figure out how to get from A to B. I recommend it if you have the time. It can really bring out thoughts and the beauty of mathematics that you may not have considered before.

1. Recurrent Problems.
The Tower of Hanoi.
Lines in the Plane.
The Josephus Problem.
Exercises.

2. Sums.
Notation.
Sums and Recurrences.
Manipulation of Sums.
Multiple Sums.
General Methods.
Finite and Infinite Calculus.
Infinite Sums.
Exercises.

3. Integer Functions.
Floors and Ceilings.
Floor/Ceiling Applications.
Floor/Ceiling Recurrences.
'mod': The Binary Operation.
Floor/Ceiling Sums.
Exercises.

4. Number Theory.
Divisibility.
Factorial Factors.
Relative Primality.
'mod': The Congruence Relation.
Independent Residues.
Additional Applications.
Phi and Mu.
Exercises.

5. Binomial Coefficients.
Basic Identities.
Basic Practice.
Tricks of the Trade.
Generating Functions.
Hypergeometric Functions.
Hypergeometric Transformations.
Partial Hypergeometric Sums.
Mechanical Summation.
Exercises.

6. Special Numbers.
Stirling Numbers.
Eulerian Numbers.
Harmonic Numbers.
Harmonic Summation.
Bernoulli Numbers.
Fibonacci Numbers.
Continuants.
Exercises.

7. Generating Functions.
Domino Theory and Change.
Basic Maneuvers.
Solving Recurrences.
Special Generating Functions.
Convolutions.
Exponential Generating Functions.
Dirichlet Generating Functions.
Exercises.

8. Discrete Probability.
Definitions.
Mean and Variance.
Probability Generating Functions.
Flipping Coins.
Hashing.
Exercises.

9. Asymptotics.
A Hierarchy.
O Notation.
O Manipulation.
Two Asymptotic Tricks.
Euler's Summation Formula.
Final Summations.
Exercises.

A. Answers to Exercises.
B. Bibliography. ... Read more

Product Description
Answers the question, "What can I do with a major in . . . ?"

Students can explore their career options within their field of study using the Great Jobs series as their guide. From assessing individual talents and skills to taking the necessary steps to land a job, every aspect of identifying and getting started in a career choice is covered. Readers learn to explore their options, target an ideal career, present a major as an asset to a job, perfect a job search, and follow through and get results. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Found a better way to search for jobs
This book is all right but if you want a really good resource for finding a job right out of college I would go to [...] and take a look around. They are the best at getting plugged into the job market quickly. Swing by the website and take a look around, I bet you will find at least one job that will sound interesting to you. Good luck looking for a job, and be sure to look at all your resources not just books.

Useful and informative.
I read this book and "The Secret Path to Contract Programming Riches." Together, they helped me basically skip normal employment and get a computer programming job almost immediately after finishing school. This book helped me see what options I had - I never knew there were so many!

I was very interested in programming/consulting and this book helped direct my focus to achieve my goal. Although it doesn't tell you exaclty how to become a programmer/consultant, expecially right out of school, which is very hard, it helped me search for more knowledge and that's how I came upon "The Secret Path to Contract Programming Riches...,"which showed me exactly what to do to become a contract programmer as quickely as I can.

If you are like me, "Great Jobs for Computer Science Majors" will be but one of many great books in your life that helps shape your destiny and career fulfillment.

Great Jobs for Computer Science Majors
I'll make it short and sweet. If you buy this book and follow it step bystep, not only will you have a great paying job, but you will have fun,too.

I got a great paying job at a large corporation and I have not evengraduated yet. That is how good this book is!!!!!!!!!

Great book
As a computer scince major I found this book very useful. It go tme think about what I really wanted to do and what my options where. the great books is very well done I have a few of there books, they are a must read for college students ... Read more