Books on Math and Computer Science
This month, we enter my husband's domain.
This month’s Newton Library Update features my husband’s domain: mathematics and computer science, the areas in which he double majored at Seattle Pacific University from 1979 to 1986. As he likes to put it, he squeezed four years of school into seven.
Throughout most of his career, he has used both disciplines as a software developer for actuaries, the mathematicians for the insurance industry.
My sister also majored in mathematics with an emphasis on statistics at the University of Washington. I got Cs in high school math and majored in English literature—but I excelled in arithmetic!
The Library of Congress lists these books in the Q category with science. To see my review of our science book collection, click here.
Mathematics—QA
536 Puzzles & Curious Problems
Contains arithmetical and algebraic problems
The Magic of Math: Solving for x and Figuring Out Why
Mathematical Fiction
Flatland
My husband read this story to our son when he was in elementary school. A square, who lives in two-dimensional Flatland, visits the one-dimensional Lineland. Then he’s visited by a sphere from three-dimensional Spaceland. It was first published in 1884.
Sphereland: A Fantasy About Cursed Spaces and an Expanding Universe
This novel continues the story of Flatland. It was originally published in 1957 in Dutch and translated into English in 1965.
The Planiverse: Computer Contact with a Two-Dimensional World
This 1984 book is written in the tradition of Flatland with some reference to Sphereland.
High School Textbooks
Algebra: A Complete Course by VideoText
We used the first part with our children. It covers both Algebra I & II before students move to geometry.
Geometry: A Complete Course (with Trigonometry) by Video Text
Algebra One
Doug’s high school textbook. He attended a private Christian high school.
Geometry
Doug’s high school textbook.
Algebra Two with Trigonometry
Doug’s high school textbook
College Texts
Elements of Calculus
A 1946 textbook.
Mathematical Models in the Social Sciences (MIT Press Classics, 1978)
Introduction to Modern Algebra
Numerical Analysis: A Practical Approach
Elementary Differential Equations with Linear Algebra
Children’s Books
Seaweed Soup (MathStart)
We found this book on display at the public library and fell in love with the MathStart series for young children.
Teen
Everything You Need to Know About Math Homework
Algebra Survival Guide: A Conversational Guide for the Thoroughly Befuddled
Building Kites: Flying High with Math (grades 5-8/Math Projects Series)
Computer Science
My husband, Doug, has worked as a software engineer for over 40 years, and so his collection of books reflects the history of the PC. Many of these titles are out of date, but I chose to scan them into our database as historical artifacts. (I think we finally threw out old user guides for Windows 95 and other such software around 2005.) Others contain enduring concepts.
I have memories from early in our marriage shopping with Doug at Barnes & Noble when he needed a new computer book. It always hurt to plunk down $50, knowing that the tome would probably be obsolete within a year.
Before 1980
Theory and Problems of General Topology
The 1980s
Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
COBOL Logic and Programming: A Structured Approach
Programming Languages: Design and Implementation
Data Management and File Processing
Programming Principles: An Introduction
Using the IBM Personal Computer: Organization and Assembly Language Programming
Diagramming Techniques for Analysts and Programmers
C for Personal Computers: IBM PC, AT&T PC 6300, and Compatibles
Compiler Construction: Theory and Practice
Turbo Prolog: The Natural Language of Artificial Intelligence
The Mythical Man Month and Other Essays on Software Engineering
I think this is where my husband found his saying, “Nine women can’t make a baby in one month,” in regards to the time needed to produce software.
Numerical Recipes in C: The Art of Scientific Computing
The 1990s
The Design and Evolution of C++
Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software
Lex & Yacc
Unix utilities.
UML in a Nutshell
Unified Modeling Language.
Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change
Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code
Y2K was on the horizon when this came out. For you younger folks, Y2K was the news story that bombed as a nothing burger.
The 2000s
Effective STL: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your Use of the Standard Template
Thinking in Java: The Definitive Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming in the Language of the World-Wide Web
For you younger folks, the “www” in front of a website address, which we mostly drop now, stands for the “World Wide Web.”
Dyalog APL for Windows Language Reference
Doug enjoyed working in APL, A Programming Language, and is still rooting out some code written in that language in his current program.
Working Effectively with Legacy Code
C Coding Standards: 101 Rules, Guidelines, and Best Practices
Effective C++: 55 Specific Ways to Improve Your Programs and Designs
SUSE Linux: A Complete Guide to Novell’s Community Distribution
Learning C# 3.0: Master of the Fundamentals of C# 3.0
Programming with Python 3: A Complete Introduction to the Python Language
When Doug and I started dating, he had a snake, a ball python named Monty the Python. I don’t think he spoke this computer language, though.
The 2010s
Effective Modern C++: 42 Specific Ways to Improve your Use of C++ 11 and C++ 14
Learning Boost C++ Libraries: Solve Practical Programming Problems Using Power, Portable, and Expressive Libraries from Boost
Functional Programming in C: How to Improve Your C Programs Using Functional Techniques
C++17 in Detail: Learn the Exciting Features of the New C++ Standard!
Youth
Computer Programming for Teens
This book covers software programming concepts that can be applied to any programming language.
The Magic School Bus Gets Programmed
I tagged this on for fun. My kids enjoyed the Magic School Bus books when they were young.