Product Description

University studies in computing require the ability to pass from a concrete problem to an abstract representation, reason with the abstract structure, and return with useful solutions to the specific situation.

The tools for developing these skills are in part qualitative – concepts such as set, relation, function, and structures such as trees and well-founded orders. They are also in part quantitative – notably elementary combinatorics and finite probability. Recurring in all of these are instruments of proof, both purely logical ones (such as proof by contradiction) and mathematical (the various forms of induction).

Features:

• Explains the basic mathematical tools required by students as they set out in their studies of Computer or Information Science

• Explores the interplay between qualitative thinking and calculation

• Teaches the material as a language for thinking, as much as knowledge to be acquired

• Uses an intuitive approach with a focus on examples for all general concepts

• Provides numerous exercises, solutions and proofs to deepen and test the reader’s understanding

• Includes highlight boxes that raise common queries and clear away confusions

• Tandems with additional electronic resources including slides on author's website

http://david.c.makinson.googlepages.com

This easy-to-follow text allows readers to carry out their computing studies with a clear understanding of the basic finite mathematics and logic that they will need. Written explicitly for undergraduates, it requires only a minimal mathematical background and is ideal for self-study as well as classroom use.

Customer Reviews (1)

Great introductory maths textbook for CS students
This is a great maths book for first year Computer Science undergraduates. It assembles in a single text most of the basic mathematical tools required in the study of Computer Science, ranging from sets and relations, to combinatorics and probabilities, to trees and logic.

Most importantly, the book is easy to follow even for someone who is not a great fan of mathematics; in fact, these are the people that will probably benefit most from this book. Concepts are presented very clearly, in a lively prose, with extra care in providing an intuitive grasp of formal notions, and attention in clarifying subtle details. This is further assisted by an on-going dialog spread throughout the book between two fictional characters, Alice and Mad Hatter (borrowed from Lewis Carroll's classical novel), discussing subtleties in the text. Carefully selected exercises in each chapter help to reinforce students understanding of the text.

Overall, a great introductory textbook. I strongly recommend it to anyone starting studies in Computer Science.
... 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
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

Product Description
Numerical analysis is the branch of mathematics concerned with the theoretical foundations of numerical algorithms for the solution of problems arising in scientific applications. Designed for courses in numerical analysis and as a reference for practicing engineers and scientists, this book presents the theoretical concepts of numerical analysis and the practical justification of these methods through computer examples with the latest version of MATLAB. The book addresses a variety of questions ranging from the approximation of functions and integrals to the approximate solution of algebraic, transcendental, differential and integral equations, with particular emphasis on the stability, accuracy, efficiency and reliability of numerical algorithms. The CD-ROM which accompanies the book includes source code, a numerical toolbox, executables, and simulations. FEATURES*Presents each numerical method by first providing examples and geometric motivation, then the steps to perform the computation, and finally the mathematical derivation of the process *Provides short programs in MATLAB that can be used for scientific applications with or without modifications *Shows the visual representation of mathematical concepts in 2D graphics and is compatible with the current MATLAB v.7.5. *Accompanied by a CD-ROM featuring source code, executables, figures, and simulations *Includes an introduction to MATLAB commands *Features an Instructor s Resource Disc for use as a textbook BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Number Systems and Errors. 2. Nonlinear Equations. 3. Systems of Linear Equations. 4. Approximating Functions. 5. Numerical Differentiation and Integration. 6. Ordinary Differential Equations. 7. The Eigenvalue problems. Appendix A. Mathematical Preliminaries. B. Introduction to MATLAB. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An outstanding reference.
College-level courses strong in numerical analysis as well as those catering to engineers and scientists will appreciate this introduction: the first to present the theory of numerical analysis and the practical justifications of methodology using the latest version of MATLAB. This will also make a fine college-level text for primary or supplemental reading: it provides short programs in MATLAB to be used for scientific applications, surveys MATLAB commands and processes, includes a CD-ROM featuring source code and simulations, and reinforces theory with applications. An outstanding reference. ... Read more

Product Description

Data Mining, the automatic extraction of implicit and potentially useful information from data, is increasingly used in commercial, scientific and other application areas.

This book explains and explores the principal techniques of Data Mining: for classification, generation of association rules and clustering. It is written for readers without a strong background in mathematics or statistics and focuses on detailed examples and explanations of the algorithms given. This should prove of value to readers of all kinds, from those whose only use of data mining techniques will be via commercial packages right through to academic researchers.

This book aims to help the general reader develop the necessary understanding to use commercial data mining packages discriminatingly, as well as enabling the advanced reader to understand or contribute to future technical advances in the field. Each chapter has practical exercises to enable readers to check their progress. A full glossary of technical terms used is included.

Customer Reviews (2)

Introduction
This is an undergraduate introduction to data mining. The book doesn't go into details. It may be suitable for people who want to get a quick feel of the data mining field. People who need more details shall read more serious and comprehensive introductions. Overall I am giving 4 stars, because I liked it.

excellent introduction
This book is an excellent introduction to data mining, concentrating primarily on decision tree induction. The material provided is presented clearly with no assumption of prior knowledge on the part of the reader. A weakness of the book is that it doesn't place the material provided within the larger context of machine learning, both in terms of breadth or depth. However, when used as a textbook the instructor could easily address this problem. ... Read more

Product Description

• Boxed quotes offering advice from students who have aced the exams and from AP teachers and college professors
• Sample tests that closely simulate real exams
• Review material based on the contents of the most recent tests
• Icons highlighting important facts, vocabulary, and frequently asked questions
• Websites and links to valuable online test resources, along with author e-mail addresses so you can ask them follow-up questions
• Authors who are either AP course instructors or exam developers

Customer Reviews (4)

Solid
I scored a 5 on the Computer Science A exam using this book and Be Prepared for the AP Computer Science Exam in Java (Second Edition) by Maria Litvin. I studied both thoroughly, which was helpful because I felt a basic knowledge of Java programming would have been inadequate for the multiple-choice portion of the exam.

Best book to learn from
before i opened this book, i literally did not know anything about java. i had a shallow background in c++, but my comp sci teacher for java sucked and so did our textbooks. this book is best to learn and review everything for the test. the lessons are succinct and to the point. and i really do think that the practice tests are fairly accurate to the actual ap test. barron's practice tests are way too ridiculously hard. if you need to learn all the material thorough and fast, this is the best book to get it from. i had also tried maria litvin's, which is good, but if you dont know anything prior to opneing that book, its not going to help much. litvin's test i would think are harder than 5 steps, but easier to barron's. i've taken the practice tests for barron's and the actual one is not that much alike. i would say use 5 steps for a realistic picture of what its going to be like in may and litvin's if you want to be safe.

Totally worth it
I got a 5 on the AB exam, thanks to this book. It goes over every single concept on the exam, and the tests are hard, which is good practice for the exam itself. When I took the exam I was a lot less nervous, because I've seen most of those problems in this prep book. If you work hard enough with this book, a 5 is guaranteed.

just right
maria litvin - i'd recommend it to anyone who never learned java b4. this book definitely stresses over concept, but the problems are not enough and much easier than the test i took in may. as a result, i'd recommend u to buy this book, but a harder book to go along with it like ds-marketing or barron's.
princeton - this book is pretty alright. it has good information, but i don't think it's enough. the way the author writes is understandable, but again, problems are not enough. sometimes there are only 4 problems per chapter. also, the practice test at the end of the chapter are not enough. there's only 1 set for A and 1 set for AB.
barron's - this book places emphasis on the problems. for example, in marine biology, there's at least 40 problems. don't buy this if u get bored easily because reading this book is like reading college textbooks. however, i can guarantee u that this book will raise ur score much quicker than any other book. however, this book is MUCH MUCH MUCH harder than the actual exam. i'd say that if u get a raw score of 50/80 on the practice test, u can probably get a 5.
5 steps - i borrowed this book from a friend about a week before the test. i feel like this book is almost exactly like the test. it has every type of problem, and gives excellent short summaries at the end of each chapter. it's quite understandable.
b4 taking compsci ap, i did 5 books: maria litvin, barron, princeton, 5 steps to a 5, and ds-marketing. i'd say that if u have a pretty decent teacher, u'll probably only need 5 steps or barron's. otherwise, i'd recommend at least 2 of the books above. however, remember that ds-marketing DOES NOT have marine biology (which makes up about 20% of the exam) ... Read more

Product Description
The mathematical knowledge needed for computer and information sciences­­including, particularly, the binary number system, logic circuits, graph theory, linear systems, probability and statistics­­get clear and concise coverage in this invaluable study guide. Basic high school math is all that's needed to follow the explanations and learn from hundreds of practical problems solved step-by-step. Hundreds of review questions with answers help reinforce learning and increase skills. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Well written but all over the map as far as subject matter
I found this Schaum's outline to be a very well written book on a variety of elementary mathematical subjects probably most suitable for someone who has just graduated high school and is a freshman starting some kind of technical degree. However, beyond that, I am not sure exactly who the target audience is supposed to be. The book contains some information on the very basic computer math that a college freshman engineering or ITstudent would need to know such as binary number systems and computer codes and math. However, some of the other material is very much oriented towards the aspiring computer engineer but is not really mathematical such as the sections on logic, flowcharts, sets and relations, and logic gates. Other sections are mathematical but don't necessarily have anything to do with computers and could be just as helpful to a student of applied mathematics such as the sections on linear algebra, linear equations, statistics, and graph theory.

Thus my recommendation would be that if you need a good tutorial on a variety of mathematical and pseudo-mathematical topics that tie in well with a technical degree of any kind, the low price of admission on this odd little outline is probably worth it. Just don't expect it to rescue you in any one course in particular. It will more likely rescue you in particular sections of several courses instead.

Great book which helped me tremendously
This book tremendously helped me understand computers and their relationship to mathematics and helped clear about doubts all through the semesters in college that I studied computer science. I strongly recommend this book to anyone majoring in computer science, information technologies, computer programming, etc ... as this book serves as a pillar to understanding the fundamentals of computer hardware and software.

A cheap and good book
The book is pretty much suitable for students who has finishedhigh school maths but requires revision on maths for computing. A few chapters are simple enough for students to run over quickly. There is asupplementary questions and solved questions with working for student tounderstand and practice on. Overall the book is good enough to refresh yourmemory on computer maths.

very poorly structured
For a start this book is never intended to be used by itself but as a supplement,so any attempt to use it as a textbook will only reslut in frustartion. Furthermore its not geared to teach as many VERY importantconcepts are simply ommited and the author makes far too many assumptionswhich all results in an incomplete book. The book attempts to cut studytime but also ends up cutting too much in clear and sufficent explanations.Use this book once you have completly mastered whathever topic you areinvolved in,and even then its only good for the practise problems at theend of each chapter. All in all DONT buy this book if you are trying tolearn something...use it ONLY for reviwing and just as a supplement. ... Read more

Product Description
Theoretical computer science provides the foundations for understanding and exploiting the concepts and mechanisms in computing and information processing. This handbook will provide professionals and students with a comprehensive overview of the main results and developments in this rapidly evolving field. It consists of thirty-seven chapters in two volumes, all addressing core areas of theoretical computer science as it is practiced today. The material is written by leading American and European researchers, and each volume may be used independently.Volume A covers models of computation, complexity theory, data structures, and efficient computation in many recognized subdisciplines of theoretical computer science. Volume B presents a choice of material on the theory of automata and rewriting systems, the foundations of modem programming languages, logics for program specification and verification, and several chapters on the theoretic modeling of advanced information processing. The organization of each volume reflects the development of theoretical computer science from its classical roots to the modem theoretical approaches in parallel and distributed computing. Extensive bibliographies, a subject index, and list of contributors are included in each volume. ... Read more

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

* The first exposition on super-recursive algorithms, systematizing all main classes and providing an accessible, focused examination of the theory and its ramifications

* Demonstrates how these algorithms are more appropriate as mathematical models for modern computers and how they present a better framework for computing methods

* Develops a new practically-oriented perspective on the theory of algorithms, computation, and automata, as a whole

Product Description
These practice workbooks and guides contain essential information for those preparing for GRE subject tests, including practice questions, full-length practice tests that were actually administered at international GRE subject test administrations, answer sheets, correct answers, score conversion tables, and performance data for students who took the tests. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

lousy
This book has numerous omissions. Do not rely entirely on this book, but supplement it with others that you can easily find by searching Google for CS GRE practice (including free practice materials from ETS).

By the way, For the general test, I found Powerprep Software: Test Preparation for the Gre General Test to be a worthwhile buy.

Save Your Money
Textbooks and notes from past classes would be far more helpful than this book. The only valuable pieces of information are the section describing the content of the test and the practice test. Both of these are available in the free booklet you can download at the GRE site. (The practice test is exactly the same.)

looking for CS GRE books? this might help
This books gives you general idea of test and let's you know what are the things you might not be prepared for. I don't have much else to say about this.

Well, I searched for CS GRE books everywhere, couldn't find any; but finally found few books which might be of help if you are giving CS GRE.

You mainly need books for

Introductory programming (Pascal and C)
Logic Design
Data Structures
Theory of Computation
Computer Architecture
Mathematics

some operating system and compiler

So get 5 solid books for these and you will be all set. And here are good books I found for preparing these topics. Finally :-( ( I have only a week left to prepare when I found these books)

Schaum's outline in digital logic
Schaum's outline essential computer mathematics

these two (above) are excellent

and
schaum's outline Data Structures in C++
schaum's outline Operating Systems
schaum's outline theory and problems

are good

All of these books have required theory in them, followed by problems and solutions. Very well explained, easy to follow and just the right amount of info needed for CS GRE.

Hope this helps. Good Luck ~ sameer

Other sources for help
My intention with this review is actually not to evaluate this book, but insteado to suggest to other graduate applicants some very interesting sources of information for the GRE/Computer Science test.

The first book I would like to recommend is Fundamentals of Data Structures, by Ellis Horowitz and Sartaj Sahni. It helped me to review subjects like binary trees, hashing, sorting, searching, and graphs.

The second recommendation is Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools, by Aho, A., R. Sethi, and D. Ullman. There are many questions related to context-free grammars in the exam, and this book helped me to solve many of sample questions in the GRE:Practicing to Take the Computer Science Test book.

There are some questions related to digital logic and binary arithmetics. One book very well written that could help on practicing binary operations is An Introduction to Computer Logic, by H. T. Nagle.

In addition, the test generally features some questions with a small algorithm or piece of program, written in C, Pascal or structured english. A very good book, which has helped me not only to practice for this questions, is The C Programming Language, by B. Kernighan and D. Ritchie.

Moreover, there are some questions related to computer architecture. A good source in this field is Computer Organization and Architecture, by W. Stallings.

Finally, a good book that covers almost all the subjects is Computer Science, an Overview, by J. Gleen Brookshear. It is a nice material for a final review, and also comes with questions/answers of binary arithmetics.

I hope this essay be helpful for you as a guide to find material to complement the practicing tests.

Useful, but only just
This book contains some sample questions on each topic of the GRE Computer Science Subject Test. After practicing these questions, one can try out the Full-length test which looks and feels exactly like the actual test.

Thisbook will be useful as a last minute review for the test. One can try to dothe sample test and measure oneself before the actual test. However, thedetails of the test and steps to prepare, etc are exactly the same as thoseon the Bulletin, which is availible for free download at gre.org oravailible when you apply for the test.

A more detailed specification ofthe syllabus and some more sample question will be worthy additions. ... 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

Product Description
The Encyclopedia of Computer Science is the definitive reference in computer science and technology. First published in 1976, it is still the only single volume to cover every major aspect of the field. Now in its Fourth Edition, this influential work provides an historical timeline highlighting the key breakthroughs in computer science and technology, as well as clear and concise explanations of the latest technology and its practical applications. Its unique blend of historical perspective, current knowledge and predicted future trends has earned it its richly deserved reputation as an unrivalled reference classic.

What sets the Encyclopedia apart from other reference sources is the comprehensiveness of each of its entries. Encompassing far more than mere definitions, each article elaborates on a topic giving a remarkable breadth and depth of coverage. The visual impact of the volume is enhanced with a 16 page colour insert spotlighting advanced computer applications and computer-generated graphics technology. In addition, the text is enlivened with figures, tables, diagrams, illustrations and photographs.
 
With contributions from over 300 international experts, the 4th Edition contains over 100 completely new articles ranging from artificial life to computer ethics, data mining to Java, mobile computing to quantum computing and software safety to the World Wide Web. In addition, each of the more than 600 articles have been extensively revised, expanded and updated to reflect the latest developments in computer science and technology.

Intelligently and thoughtfully organised, all the articles are classified around 9 main themes

• Hardware
• Software
• Computer Systems
• Information and Data
• Mathematics of Computing
• Theory of Computation
• Methodologies
• Applications
• Computing Milieux

Within each of these major headings are a wealth of articles that provide the reader with concise yet thorough coverage of the topic. In addition, cross-references are included at the beginning of each article, directing the reader immediately to related material.

In addition the Encyclopedia contains useful appendices including:

• An expanded glossary of major terms in English, German, Spanish and Russian
• A revised list of abbreviations and acronyms
• An updated list of computer science and engineering research journals
• A list of articles from previous editions not included in the 4th edition
• A Name Index listing almost 3500 individuals cited in the text
• A comprehensive General Index with 7000 entries
• A chronology of significant milestones
• Computer Society & Academic Computer Science Department Listings
• Numerical Tables, Mathematical Notation and Units of Measure

Highly-regarded as an essential resource for computer professionals, engineers, mathematicians, students and scientists, the Encyclopedia of Computer Science is a must-have reference for every college, university, business and high-school library.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

The latest edition of the best basic reference on Computer Science
An excellent overview of Computer Science.

This really is an excellent basic reference for non-specialists who need to elaborate on Computer Science topics. This encyclopedia is comprehensive in its breadth of coverage, and directs the reader at the next level of depth through cross-reference to articles and bibliographic references for those who need to in-depth in an specific topic.

It will be a valuable part of your library if you are not a CS specialist have an interest on Computer Science subjects.

If you are a practitioner, you may do better with "The Engineering and Computer Science Handbook".

Excellent reference fo all aspects of Computer Science
I have as of this writing passed through about half of the encyclopedia and found it to be of the highest value. It has helped me to gain insights into areas that I am foggy in and also expanded my knowledge of areas in which I hold some expertise.

Ron Davis MCSE, MCSD, MCDBA, MCP+I, MCP+SB, MCT, CIW, CI, CTT

The wait is finally over
Two words for you - David Hemmindinger - Can this man edit or what?Was Very excited about the release of this book, excellent reference material.I think Dinger needs to write a book of his own next!I know I'll read it.

Excellent Reference Material
Have been using this for the past 7 years before going to Stanford andstill now.

A delicious "Brittanica" of computer science
I have the 1983 Second Edition and it is, as I assume the pricey Third is,a reference of biblical proportions, a sort of Brittanica of computer science. Lucid, authoritative articles. But while I lust after the new Edition, the three figure price makes me too shy to make a pass. Pity. If you can afford it, buy it. ... Read more

Product Description
Programming is a fascinating and challenging subject. Unfortunately, it is rarely presented as such. Most often it is taught by "induction": features of some famous programming languages are given operational meaning (e.g. a loop "goes round and round"), a number of examples are shown, and by induction, we are asked to develop other programs, often radically different from the ones we've seen. Basically we are taught to guess our programs, and then to patch up our guesses. Our errors are given the cute name of "bugs". Fixing them becomes puzzle-solving, as does finding tricks that exploit or avoid poorly designed features of the programming language. The entire process is time-consuming and expensive. And even so, we are never quite sure if our programs really work in all cases. When approached in this way, programming is indeed a dull activity. There is, however, another approach to programming, an approach in which programs can be developed reliably, with attention to the real issues. It is a practical approach based on methodically developing programs from their specifications. Besides being practical, it is exciting. Many programs can be developed with relative ease. Problems which once were difficult can now be solved by beginners. Elegant solutions bring great satisfaction. This is our subject. We are interested in making programming an exciting topic! ... Read more

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"Of all the books I have covered in the Forum to date, this set is themost unique and possibly the most useful to the SIGACT community, insupport both of teaching and research.... The books can be used byanyone wanting simply to gain an understanding of one of these areas, orby someone desiring to be in research in a topic, or by instructorswishing to find timely information on a subject they are teachingoutside their major areas of expertise." -- Rocky Ross, SIGACT News"This is a reference which has a place in every computer sciencelibrary." -- Raymond Lauzzana, Languages of Design

The Handbook of Theoretical Computer Science provides professionals andstudents with a comprehensive overview of the main results anddevelopments in this rapidly evolving field. Volume A covers models ofcomputation, complexity theory, data structures, and efficientcomputation in many recognized subdisciplines of theoretical computerscience. Volume B takes up the theory of automata and rewriting systems,the foundations of modern programming languages, and logics for programspecification and verification, and presents several studies on thetheoretic modeling of advanced information processing. The two volumescontain thirty-seven chapters, with extensive chapter references andindividual tables of contents for each chapter. There are 5,387 entrysubject indexes that include notational symbols, and a list ofcontributors and affiliations in each volume. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Just what you expect from a handbook
This is probably the best or may be the only handbook on theeretical computer science.If one wants to get a good idea on any topic in this field, just open the book and you do not have to run around looking into different books.

On the other hand, this is a huge field, and no handbook can put all of this in one book.I found that many topics that I was looking in were not in good detail at all.For instance I was looking in Fortune's voronoi construction, the terse way of explaining things does not give the reader enough insight.

A book well worth putting on your shelf.
This book is a collection of articles on complexity theory written by a number of very competent authors. The article by Li/Vitanyi on Kolmogorov complexity and the article by Aho on pattern matching in strings stand outin particular. All articles however are very well written and packed fullof useful information, even for readers who are mainly interested inapplications. Extensive references are found at the end of each article,lightening the burden of doing further reading on the topics. ... Read more

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Discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science are closely linked research areas with strong impacts on applications and various other scientific disciplines. Both fields deeply cross fertilize each other. One of the persons who particularly contributed to building bridges between these and many other areas is László Lovász, a scholar whose outstanding scientific work has defined and shaped many research directions in the last 40 years. A number of friends and colleagues, all top authorities in their fields of expertise and all invited plenary speakers at one of two conferences in August 2008 in Hungary, both celebrating Lovász’s 60^th birthday, have contributed their latest research papers to this volume. This collection of articles offers an excellent view on the state of combinatorics and related topics and will be of interest for experienced specialists as well as young researchers.

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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