01993cam a22002538i 45000010009000000050017000090060019000260070015000450080041000600200018001010350020001190350024001390400031001630410008001940500025002021000029002272450124002562600043003803000054004235050440004775200769009176500024016866500029017101761552120251008104837.0m     o  d        cr |||||||||||240617s2025    mau     ob    001 0 eng d  a9780262551694  a(MaCbMITP)15544  a(OCoLC-P)1455429400  aOCoLC-PbengerdacOCoLC-P  aeng00aQA76.9.A43bL54 2025  aLichtman, Ellioteauthor14aThe computer always winsb: a playful introduction to algorithms through puzzles and strategy gamesc/ Elliot Lichtman.  aCambridge, MA :bThe MIT Press,c2025.  a182 pages :billustrations (some color) ;c23 cm.  aHow to use this book — Why algorithms? — Chapter summaries — Searching and sorting. Guess wrong answers — Road not taken — One step at a time — Turn-based strategy games. Whose turn is it anyways — Move faster — Pruning — Random simulation. Throwing darts — Aiming darts — Aiming darts at others — Tracking and training. Rock, paper...paper — Black boxes — Minimizing regret — Afterword — Python review.  aAn engaging and approachable resource for beginning-to-intermediate coders eager to learn advanced ideas in computer programming.

In The Computer Always Wins, Elliot Lichtman will teach you some of computer science’s most powerful concepts in a refreshingly accessible way: exploring them through word games, board games, and strategy games you already know. Learn recursion by playing tic-tac-toe, efficient search through puzzle games like sudoku and Wordle, and machine learning by way of the playground classic rock-paper-scissors. Finish the book, and you’ll come away with not only a deeper understanding of these foundational programming techniques but also a new appreciation for the amazing feats that can be accomplished using simple, readable code. 0aComputer algorithms 0aBoard gamesxMathematics