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Books published by publisher No Starch Press

  • 20 Easy Raspberry Pi Projects: Toys, Tools, Gadgets, and More!

    Rui Santos, Sara Santos

    Paperback (No Starch Press, April 17, 2018)
    Twenty projects using the Raspberry Pi, a tiny and affordable computer, for beginners looking to make cool things right away. Projects are explained with full-color visuals and simple step-by-step instructions.20 Easy Raspberry Pi Projects is a beginner-friendly collection of electronics projects, perfectly suited for kids, parents, educators, and hobbyists looking to level up their hardware skills.After a crash course to get you set up with your Raspberry Pi, you’ll learn how to build interactive projects like a digital drum set; a WiFi controlled robot; a Pong game; an intruder alarm that sends email notifications; a gas leak detector; a weather forecaster; and IoT gadgets that control electronics around the house. Along the way, you’ll work with core components like LCD screens, cameras, sensors, and even learn how to set up your own server.Each project provides step-by-step instructions, full-color photos and circuit diagrams, and the complete code to bring your build to life. If you’re ready to hit the ground running and make something interesting, let 20 Easy Raspberry Pi Projects be your guide.
  • Learn to Program with Scratch: A Visual Introduction to Programming with Games, Art, Science, and Math

    Majed Marji

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Feb. 14, 2014)
    Scratch is a fun, free, beginner-friendly programming environment where you connect blocks of code to build programs. While most famously used to introduce kids to programming, Scratch can make computer science approachable for people of any age. Rather than type countless lines of code in a cryptic programming language, why not use colorful command blocks and cartoon sprites to create powerful scripts?In Learn to Program with Scratch, author Majed Marji uses Scratch to explain the concepts essential to solving real-world programming problems. The labeled, color-coded blocks plainly show each logical step in a given script, and with a single click, you can even test any part of your script to check your logic. You'll learn how to:–Harness the power of repeat loops and recursion–Use if/else statements and logical operators to make decisions–Store data in variables and lists to use later in your program–Read, store, and manipulate user input–Implement key computer science algorithms like a linear search and bubble sortHands-on projects will challenge you to create an Ohm's law simulator, draw intricate patterns, program sprites to mimic line-following robots, create arcade-style games, and more! Each chapter is packed with detailed explanations, annotated illustrations, guided examples, lots of color, and plenty of exercises to help the lessons stick. Learn to Program with Scratch is the perfect place to start your computer science journey, painlessly.Uses Scratch 2
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  • The Official ScratchJr Book: Help Your Kids Learn to Code

    Marina Umaschi Bers, Mitchel Resnick

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Oct. 1, 2015)
    ScratchJr is a free, introductory computer programming language that runs on iPads, Android tablets, Amazon tablets, and Chromebooks. Inspired by Scratch, the wildly popular programming language used by millions of children worldwide, ScratchJr helps even younger kids create their own playful animations, interactive stories, and dynamic games.The Official ScratchJr Book is the perfect companion to this free app and makes coding easy and fun for all. Kids learn to program by connecting blocks of code to make characters move, jump, dance, and sing.Each chapter includes several activities that build on one another, culminating in a fun final project. These hands-on activities help kids develop computational-thinking, problem-solving, and design skills. In each activity, you’ll find:–Step-by-step, easy-to-follow directions–Ways to connect the activity with literacy and math concepts–Tips for grown-ups and teachers–Creative challenges to take the learning furtherBy the end of the book, kids will be ready for all sorts of new programming adventures!The ScratchJr app now supports English, Spanish, Catalan, Dutch, French, Italian, and Thai.
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  • Scratch Programming Playground: Learn to Program by Making Cool Games

    Al Sweigart

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Sept. 16, 2016)
    Scratch, the colorful drag-and-drop programming language, is used by millions of first-time learners, and in Scratch Programming Playground, you’ll learn to program by making cool games. Get ready to destroy asteroids, shoot hoops, and slice and dice fruit!Each game includes easy-to-follow instructions, review questions, and creative coding challenges to make the game your own. Want to add more levels or a cheat code? No problem, just write some code.You’ll learn to make games like:–Maze Runner: escape the maze!–Snaaaaaake: gobble apples and avoid your own tail–Asteroid Breaker: smash space rocks–Fruit Slicer: a Fruit Ninja clone–Brick Breaker: a remake of Breakout, the brick-breaking classic–Platformer: a game inspired by Super Mario Bros.Learning how to program shouldn’t be dry and dreary. With Scratch Programming Playground, you’ll make a game of it!Uses Scratch 2
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  • The Manga Guide to Statistics

    Shin Takahashi, Co Ltd Trend

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Nov. 15, 2008)
    Think you can't have fun learning statistics? Think again.The Manga Guide to Statistics will teach you everything you need to know about this essential discipline, while entertaining you at the same time. With its unique combination of Japanese-style comics called manga and serious educational content, the EduManga format is already a hit in Japan.In The Manga Guide to Statistics, our heroine Rui is determined to learn about statistics to impress the dreamy Mr. Igarashi and begs her father for a tutor. Soon she's spending her Saturdays with geeky, bespectacled Mr. Yamamoto, who patiently teaches her all about the fundamentals of statistics: topics like data categorization, averages, graphing, and standard deviation.After all her studying, Rui is confident in her knowledge of statistics, including complex concepts like probability, coefficients of correlation, hypothesis tests, and tests of independence. But is it enough to impress her dream guy? Or maybe there's someone better, right in front of her?Reluctant statistics students of all ages will enjoy learning along with Rui in this charming, easy-to-read guide, which uses real-world examples like teen magazine quizzes, bowling games, test scores, and ramen noodle prices. Examples, exercises, and answer keys help you follow along and check your work. An appendix showing how to perform statistics calculations in Microsoft Excel makes it easy to put Rui's lessons into practice.This EduManga book is a translation from a bestselling series in Japan, co-published with Ohmsha, Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan.
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  • 25 Scratch 3 Games for Kids: A Playful Guide to Coding

    Max Wainewright

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Oct. 29, 2019)
    Build your own computer games with Scratch 3!Learn how to make fun games with Scratch--a free, beginner-friendly programming language from the MIT Media Lab. Create mazes, road-crossing games, and two-player games that keep score. Colorful pictures and easy-to-follow instructions show you how to add cool animations and sound effects to your games. You'll have hours of fun catching snowflakes, gobbling up tacos, and dodging donuts in space--while learning how to code along the way!Covers Scratch 3
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  • Survive! Inside the Human Body, Vol. 3: The Nervous System

    Gomdori Co, Hyun-Dong Han

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Oct. 4, 2013)
    Survive! Inside the Human Body, Vol. 3 concludes our incredible tour of the human body with a wild ride through the nervous system. When Geo and Dr. Brain find themselves inside Phoebe’s brain, they must brave shocking electrical signals and navigate a maze of neurons and synapses.Will the dynamic duo finally escape? And what’s the matter with Phoebe, anyway? As you follow this up-close exploration of Phoebe’s brain, you’ll learn how the brain and nervous system work.Have you ever wondered...–How your body protects your brain?–Why your leg "falls asleep" when you sit in one position for too long?–How CT scans, MRIs, EEGs, and PET scans work?–Why humans have such big cerebrums compared to other animals?–What your spinal cord and brain stem do?–What kinds of new techniques doctors invent to diagnose and treat their patients?For ages 8+Translated by Army Chung
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  • The LEGO Power Functions Idea Book, Vol. 2: Cars and Contraptions

    Yoshihito Isogawa

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Oct. 1, 2015)
    This second volume of The LEGO Power Functions Idea Book, Cars and Contraptions, showcases small projects to build with LEGO Technic gears, motors, gadgets, and other moving elements. You’ll find hundreds of clever, buildable mechanisms, each one demonstrating a key building technique or mechanical principle.You’ll learn to build four-wheel drive cars, adorable walking ‘bots, steerable tanks, robotic inchworms, and cars that can follow the edge of a table!Each model includes a list of required parts and colorful photographs that guide you through the build without the need for step-by-step instructions. As you build, you’ll explore the principles of gear systems, power translation, differentials, suspensions, and more.
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  • Automate the Boring Stuff with Python: Practical Programming for Total Beginners

    Al Sweigart

    eBook (No Starch Press, April 14, 2015)
    If you’ve ever spent hours renaming files or updating hundreds of spreadsheet cells, you know how tedious tasks like these can be. But what if you could have your computer do them for you?In Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, you’ll learn how to use Python to write programs that do in minutes what would take you hours to do by hand—no prior programming experience required. Once you’ve mastered the basics of programming, you’ll create Python programs that effortlessly perform useful and impressive feats of automation to:–Search for text in a file or across multiple files–Create, update, move, and rename files and folders–Search the Web and download online content–Update and format data in Excel spreadsheets of any size–Split, merge, watermark, and encrypt PDFs–Send reminder emails and text notifications–Fill out online formsStep-by-step instructions walk you through each program, and practice projects at the end of each chapter challenge you to improve those programs and use your newfound skills to automate similar tasks.Don’t spend your time doing work a well-trained monkey could do. Even if you’ve never written a line of code, you can make your computer do the grunt work. Learn how in Automate the Boring Stuff with Python.Note: The programs in this book are written to run on Python 3.
  • Python for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming

    Jason R. Briggs

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Incorporated, Dec. 22, 2012)
    Python is a powerful, expressive programming language that’s easy to learn and fun to use! But books about learning to program in Python can be kind of dull, gray, and boring, and that’s no fun for anyone.Python for Kids brings Python to life and brings you (and your parents) into the world of programming. The ever-patient Jason R. Briggs will guide you through the basics as you experiment with unique (and often hilarious) example programs that feature ravenous monsters, secret agents, thieving ravens, and more. New terms are defined; code is colored, dissected, and explained; and quirky, full-color illustrations keep things on the lighter side.Chapters end with programming puzzles designed to stretch your brain and strengthen your understanding. By the end of the book you’ll have programmed two complete games: a clone of the famous Pong and "Mr. Stick Man Races for the Exit"—a platform game with jumps, animation, and much more.As you strike out on your programming adventure, you’ll learn how to:–Use fundamental data structures like lists, tuples, and maps–Organize and reuse your code with functions and modules–Use control structures like loops and conditional statements–Draw shapes and patterns with Python’s turtle module–Create games, animations, and other graphical wonders with tkinterWhy should serious adults have all the fun? Python for Kids is your ticket into the amazing world of computer programming.For kids ages 10+ (and their parents)The code in this book runs on almost anything: Windows, Mac, Linux, even an OLPC laptop or Raspberry Pi!
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  • The Manga Guide to Calculus

    Hiroyuki Kojima, Shin Togami, Becom Co. Ltd.

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Aug. 1, 2009)
    Noriko is just getting started as a junior reporter for the Asagake Times. She wants to cover the hard-hitting issues, like world affairs and politics, but does she have the smarts for it? Thankfully, her overbearing and math-minded boss, Mr. Seki, is here to teach her how to analyze her stories with a mathematical eye.In The Manga Guide to Calculus, you'll follow along with Noriko as she learns that calculus is more than just a class designed to weed out would-be science majors. You'll see that calculus is a useful way to understand the patterns in physics, economics, and the world around us, with help from real-world examples like probability, supply and demand curves, the economics of pollution, and the density of Shochu (a Japanese liquor).Mr. Seki teaches Noriko how to:–Use differentiation to understand a function's rate of change–Apply the fundamental theorem of calculus, and grasp the relationship between a function's derivative and its integral–Integrate and differentiate trigonometric and other complicated functions–Use multivariate calculus and partial differentiation to deal with tricky functions–Use Taylor Expansions to accurately imitate difficult functions with polynomialsWhether you're struggling through a calculus course for the first time or you just need a painless refresher, you'll find what you're looking for in The Manga Guide to Calculus.This EduManga book is a translation from a bestselling series in Japan, co-published with Ohmsha, Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan.
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  • Survive! Inside the Human Body, Vol. 1: The Digestive System

    Gomdori Co, Hyun-Dong Han

    Paperback (No Starch Press, Oct. 4, 2013)
    Survive! Inside the Human Body, Volume 1 begins an epic journey through the human body with a look at the digestive system. This lively, full-color science comic explores Phoebe’s insides after she accidentally swallows a microscopic ship. The only problem? Dr. Brain (the ship’s eccentric inventor) and Phoebe’s friend Geo are on board!Geo and Dr. Brain must avoid danger at every turn—like hazardous stomach acid and feeding parasites. (Ew!) Will they escape? You've got a front-row seat as they travel through Phoebe’s esophagus, stomach, and intestines.Have you ever wondered...–How antacids work?–How our bodies break down food and absorb nutrients?–Why we have sphincters?–How the stomach protects itself from its own acid?–How doctors cure patients who have parasites living in their digestive systems?–Why we have trillions of friendly microbes living inside of us?For ages 8+Translated by Army Chung
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