An Elementary Introduction to the Wolfram Language

As the world’s first and only full-scale computational language, the Wolfram Language represents a milestone in the development of programming languages that makes leading-edge computation accessible to everyone. Unique in its approach of building in vast knowledge and automation, the Wolfram Language scales from a single line of easy-to-understand interactive code to million-line production systems.

This book provides an elementary introduction to the Wolfram Language and modern computational thinking. It assumes no prior knowledge of programming, and is suitable for both technical and non-technical college and middle-to-high-school students―as well as anyone with an interest in the latest technology and its practical application.

Run everything in this book in any Wolfram environment on the web or your desktop.

From the Publisher

“The primary benefit of this little [book] is conciseness. . . . Sometimes you just need a hint or quick glance at a notation example. This one is organized for quick access.”

— Verified Purchaser

From the Preface

“I’ve been explaining what’s now the Wolfram Language to people for more than 30 years, and I finally decided it was time to take what I’d learned and write a minimal introduction that people could read on their own. This book is the result of that effort.

… … …

My goal is to make this book completely self-contained, and to assume nothing beyond everyday common knowledge.

… … …

I hope that the power and beauty of the language that I have nurtured for more than half my life will shine through, and that many students and other people, with many diverse backgrounds, can use this book to get started with the Wolfram Language and get involved with the kind of computational thinking that is quickly becoming a defining feature of our times.”

Contents

Preface · What Is the Wolfram Language? · Practicalities of Using the Wolfram Language · Other Resources · Starting Out: Elementary Arithmetic · Introducing Functions · First Look at Lists · Displaying Lists · Operations on Lists · Making Tables · Colors and Styles · Basic Graphics Objects · Interactive Manipulation · Images · Strings and Text · Sound · Arrays, or Lists of Lists · Coordinates and Graphics · The Scope of the Wolfram Language · Real-World Data · Units · Geocomputation · Dates and Times · Options · Graphs and Networks · Machine Learning · More about Numbers · More Forms of Visualization · Ways to Apply Functions · Pure Anonymous Functions · Applying Functions Repeatedly · Tests and Conditionals · More about Pure Functions · Rearranging Lists · Parts of Lists · Patterns · Expressions and Their Structure · Associations · Natural Language Understanding · Creating Websites and Apps · Layout and Display · Assigning Names to Things · Immediate and Delayed Values · Defining Your Own Functions · More about Patterns · String Patterns and Templates · Storing Things · Importing and Exporting · Datasets · Audio and Video · Writing Good Code · Debugging Your Code · What We Haven’t Discussed · Afterword: Being a Programmer · Where to Go Next · Answers to Exercises · Index

About the Author

Stephen Wolfram is an award-winning scientist and bestselling author, and the creator of some of the world’s most respected software systems—Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha and Wolfram Language. For more than 35 years, he has been CEO of the global technology company Wolfram Research, as well as responsible for a series of groundbreaking advances in basic science, including the recent Wolfram Physics Project.

A few of Stephen Wolfram’s other books:

A New Kind of ScienceWhat Is ChatGPT Doing … and Why Does It Work?Predicting the Eclipse: A Multimillennium Tale of ComputationThe Second Law: Resolving the Mystery of the Second Law of ThermodynamicsA Project to Find the Fundamental Theory of PhysicsIdea Makers: Personal Perspectives on the Lives & Ideas of Some Notable People

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Page Count
376 572 280 368 424 220

Wolfram Language Programming Level
Beginner Beginner Beginner Intermediate Intermediate Intermediate

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wolfram Media, Inc.; 3rd edition (April 11, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 376 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1944183078
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1944183073
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.65 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 1 x 9.75 inches