Starting in 1999, the author has taught a course called "Computers in Our World" (COS 109: Computers in Our World) at Princeton University. This course introduces basic computer knowledge to non-computer major students and has been very popular among students for many years.
This book is based on the lecture notes of this course. It not only explains the working principles of computer and communication systems, but also analyzes the privacy and security issues brought by new technologies. New chapters in the second edition discuss Python programming, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data.
This book is suitable for all readers who want to understand the digital world and better understand and change the world we live in by understanding the working principles, origins and future development trends of technology.
Reader comments
I especially enjoyed the explanations of new technologies in the book, which allowed me to understand their impact. Moreover, the book also discusses important topics such as privacy and security issues. However, I kind of hate the character named Xiao Ming. He always asks silly questions and it feels like he is slowing down the progress of the entire course. Overall, this book is well worth reading and will give you a deeper understanding of the computer world.
Is this an open class? There is a lot of content that even a computer major like me doesn't understand.
I especially enjoyed the explanations of new technologies in the book, which allowed me to understand their impact. Moreover, the book also discusses important topics such as privacy and security issues. However, I kind of hate the character named Xiao Ming. He always asks silly questions and it feels like he is slowing down the progress of the entire course. Overall, this book is well worth reading and will give you a deeper understanding of the computer world.
Is this an open class? There is a lot of content that even a computer major like me doesn't understand.