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Kotlin from Scratch

A Project-Based Introduction for the Intrepid Programmer
by Faisal Islam
November 2024, 432 pp.
ISBN-13: 
9781718503526

Download Chapter 4: Solving Mathematical Problems with Code

Look Inside!

Kotlin from Scratch back cover
Kotlin from Scratch pages 12-13Kotlin from Scratch pages 116-117Kotlin from Scratch pages 356-357

Kotlin isn’t just for building Android apps. As you’ll learn in Kotlin from Scratch, it’s also a general programming language for crafting both elegant and efficient code.

With the aid of 37 hands-on projects, you’ll move quickly through the language basics while building your problem-solving skills, even tackling advanced concepts like fractals, dynamic systems, and nature-inspired algorithms. You’ll explore the way Kotlin handles variables, control structures, functions, classes, and data structures, and you’ll learn to create visualizations using Kotlin and the JavaFX graphics library. Then you’ll build increasingly sophisticated apps to practice what you’ve learned while tackling challenges from math and science to algorithms and optimization.

As you progress through the book, you will:

  • Simulate physical systems, like the intricate dance of binary stars
  • Implement the classic Hill cipher for encryption and decryption 
  • Generate beautiful fractals with recursive algorithms 
  • Program classic computer science algorithms for sorting and searching
  • Solve the infamous Berlin52 traveling salesman problem 

Expand your language repertoire and improve your computational thinking with Kotlin from Scratch.

Author Bio 

Dr. Faisal Islam brings a wealth of interdisciplinary expertise to Kotlin from Scratch. With an MS in civil engineering and a PhD in resource economics, he offers a unique perspective on applying computational thinking to real-world challenges. Dr. Islam has over 20 years of experience in coding across multiple languages (C, Java, Python, and Kotlin) to solve complex problems and an extensive background in simulation, modeling, and optimization.

Table of contents 

Acknowledgments 
Introduction 
PART I: PROGRAMMING FUNDAMENTALS 
Chapter 1: Kotlin Basics 
Chapter 2: Arrays, Collections, and Classes 
Chapter 3: Visualizing with JavaFX 
PART II: APPLICATIONS IN MATH AND SCIENCE 
Chapter 4: Solving Mathematical Problems with Code 
Chapter 5: Modeling and Simulation 
PART III: RECURSION, SORTING, AND SEARCHING 
Chapter 6: Recursive Functions and Fractals 
Chapter 7: Sorting and Searching 
PART IV: OPTIMIZATION WITH NATURE-INSPIRED ALGORITHMS 
Chapter 8: The Genetic Algorithm 
Chapter 9: Agent-Based Algorithms 
Afterword 
Appendix 
Index 

View the Copyright page
View the detailed Table of Contents
View the Index

Reviews 

"Do you want to have fun . . . and learn programming with Kotlin in one book? Faisal Islam wrote that perfect book for you! [F]ocused on a lot of practical examples from the world . . . a good foundation for further advanced topics."
— Matthias Schenk, Kotlin software engineer & craftsman, @Finanzguru

Updates 

View the latest errata.