(^84) July 2018 raspberrypi.org/magpi
Review BOOKS
A student textbook
which introduces
statistics and analytical skills
through the R language, reflecting
the change in teaching even dry and
conceptual topics like statistics.
Indeed, knowledge of R is close to
essential for those looking to learn
statistical methods and start a
career in finance, pharmaceuticals,
or even the civil service. This
book is differentiated from many
R introductions in being solidly
grounded in teaching everything a
first-year student of statistics needs
to know.
Tabular, graphical, and numerical
methods in statistics lead on
to problems in probability that
depend upon them, and a look
Author: Robert Stinerock
Publisher: Sage
Price: £100
ISBN: 978-1473924895
magpi.cc/jKQuZz
STATISTICS WITH R:
A BEGINNER’S GUIDE
at everything from sample space
to Bayes’ theorem. Discrete and
continuous probability functions
lead on to binomial probability
distribution – concepts again
reinforced with the exercises. More
advanced topics, such as hypothesis
testing and multiple regression,
are introduced after the appropriate
foundation knowledge. A very
comprehensive introduction.
The formal textbook approach
carries the penalty not just of a
certain dryness that might make
difficult reading for those who’ve
become used to programming
books leavened with humour, but
also an eye-watering textbook
price, although it’s also available
as a paperback for £34.99. For
those not constrained by budget,
this is a good guide indeed – clear,
well structured, and featuring well
chosen examples and exercises.
BEGINNING
FUNCTIONAL
JAVASCRIPT
If you’re an OO programmer
struggling with the concepts of
functional programming, Aravinth’s
explanations should help make
things clear. A second edition with
better editing would be welcomed,
but the author’s knowledge and
enthusiasm will carry you past
grammatical errors.
Author: Anto Aravinth
Publisher: Apress
Price: £23.99
ISBN: 978-1484226551
magpi.cc/RxKNXL
There are many books on
learning to code with Python, and
several of them are actually fun –
and we’ve really enjoyed reviewing
them – but the latest book in
O’Reilly’s excellent Head First series
stands out. The first chapter is
about ‘Thinking Computationally’,
and combines an introduction to
what programming languages are
and how they work, with an easy
and practical introduction to some
Python code. Nicely done, and very
beginner-friendly.
Variables are introduced with a
dog age calculator program, then
Booleans and control structures
are explained with Rock, Paper,
HEAD FIRST
LEARN TO CODE
Author: Eric Freeman
Publisher: O’Reilly
Price: £39.99
ISBN: 978-1491958865
magpi.cc/lTnVbT
If you’d rather get the basics
of Clojure under your belt
before tackling ClojureScript
(or a Clojure web server-based
project), this concise guide is
a truly enjoyable introduction
to all the bits of the language
that you’ll really need.
Authors: Quick Clojure
Publisher: Mark McDonnell
Price: £22.99
ISBN: 978-1484229514
magpi.cc/fEJhMU
REACTIVE WITH
CLOJURESCRIPT
RECIPES
ClojureScript is a Clojure that
compiles to JavaScript and, as
Modrzyk shows here, works
well for functional reactive
programming (FRP). The recipe
book approach works well
- allowing for beginner and
relatively advanced topics to rub
along well together.
Author: Nicolas Modrzyk
Publisher: Apress
Price: £31.99
ISBN: 978-1484230084
magpi.cc/xXjmjsScissors. After lists, functions,
and a look at the bubble sort
algorithm, there’s a substantial
project which puts everything
together, and involves slicing
strings and lists to measure the
readability of texts – playing to
Python’s strengths.
Six more chapters build on
readers’ achievements and give
the skills and techniques needed
for programming, from making
reusable code and working with
the file system, via recursion, to
interacting with web APIs and
building a graphical user interface.
From using Turtle graphics to
represent location data from
the International Space Station,
to canine humour in the OOP
chapter, Freeman keeps this fun
and engaging. Great for adults
who want to learn to code, but also
recommended for teen learners.QUICK CLOJURE
RASPBERRY PI
BESTSELLERS
ClojureScript, along with JavaScript’s
functional features, enables more robust and
responsive web apps in a ‘serverless’ world.Score
FP TO WEB
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