Computing Concepts with Python
Second Edition (2.0)
A free, open-access introduction to computer science. Each week pairs a hands-on Jupyter notebook with a short case study on the people, arguments, and history behind the technical material. The notebooks teach you to write Python with the help of an AI pair-programmer; the case studies ask you to think about what that code does in the world. Used in COMP 1150 at Rochester Community and Technical College and freely adaptable elsewhere under CC BY 4.0. The materials here are the second edition (2.0); the original 2024 edition is preserved in the archive.
Notebooks
Each notebook is available three ways: Read (accessible HTML in the browser), Run (open in Google Colab to execute and edit), and Download (the raw .ipynb).
| # | Notebook | Read | Run | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What Is Computing? | HTML | Colab | .ipynb |
| 2 | Machine Architecture & Data Representation | HTML | Colab | .ipynb |
| 3 | Python via Pseudocode & Flowcharts | HTML | Colab | .ipynb |
| 4 | Control Flow & Functions | HTML | Colab | .ipynb |
| 5 | Collections & ADTs | HTML | Colab | .ipynb |
| 6 | Functions, Modules & OOP | HTML | Colab | .ipynb |
| 7 | Algorithms, Complexity & the Limits of Computation | HTML | Colab | .ipynb |
| 8 | Software Engineering, Git & AI-Assisted Dev | HTML | Colab | .ipynb |
| 9 | Databases: Relational & Non-Relational | HTML | Colab | .ipynb |
| 10 | OS, Networks, Cloud & the Web | HTML | Colab | .ipynb |
| 11 | Cybersecurity & Secure Software Development | HTML | Colab | .ipynb |
| 12 | AI, Machine Learning & Ethics | HTML | Colab | .ipynb |
Case studies
Short, discussion-ready pieces on the history, ethics, and unresolved arguments behind the technical material. About twenty to thirty minutes each. All twelve:
- Lovelace and Turing: Can a Machine Originate? — paired with Notebook 1.
- The Silicon Shield: TSMC, Moore’s Law, and the New Chip Wars — paired with Notebook 2.
- Grace Hopper, Compilers & the Abstraction Bargain — paired with Notebook 3.
- The Therac-25: When Control Flow Kills — paired with Notebook 4.
- How We Represent People: ADTs and the Ethics of Data Modeling — paired with Notebook 5.
- Was OOP a Mistake? Alan Kay, Smalltalk & the Backlash — paired with Notebook 6.
- “We Must Know — We Will Know”: Gödel, Turing, and the Problem No Computer Can Solve — paired with Notebook 7.
- Open Source and the Code an AI Learned From — paired with Notebook 8.
- From SQL to NoSQL: Why Google Broke the Database — paired with Notebook 9.
- Three Companies Own the Internet — paired with Notebook 10.
- The Equifax Breach — paired with Notebook 11.
- The Score and the Face: COMPAS, Facial Recognition & AI Accountability — paired with Notebook 12.
The full case studies index lists all twelve cases with brief descriptions.
How the pieces fit together
- Read the notebook first. Run the code. Do the exercises.
- Then read the paired case study. It tells the human story behind what you just learned and opens a debate worth your own opinion on.
- Bring both to class. The discussion questions are written to be argued out loud.
For instructors
Everything here is CC BY 4.0 — adapt and remix freely. See About for adoption notes, source layout, and contact info.