Java: An Introduction to Problem Solving & Programming

Learning Java is more than memorizing syntax. This introductory textbook pairs the language’s core features with the problem-solving techniques used to plan, write, test, and improve programs. Its step-by-step progression makes it a structured starting point for students encountering programming for the first time.

Learn Java through the logic behind the code

The chapters begin with computers, Java, and basic computation, then build toward branching, loops, classes and methods, arrays, inheritance, polymorphism, and interfaces. Later material introduces exception handling, streams and file input/output, networking, recursion, and dynamic data structures with generics. The sequence gives readers a route from small expressions and control structures to more substantial programming ideas.

Build problem-solving habits alongside language skills

Rather than treating Java as a list of rules, the book emphasizes programming techniques too. Case studies, complete examples, programming tips, and discussion of design, style, testing, and debugging help connect individual language features to the work of making a program function clearly and reliably.

Practice as you progress

Self-test questions appear throughout the chapters, with answers provided at each chapter’s end. Exercises and programming projects offer further opportunities to apply the material. Optional graphics sections introduce JavaFX, allowing courses to bring visual applications into the curriculum when appropriate.

A considered first step into programming

Designed for a first course and requiring no prior programming experience, this Pearson textbook can also suit readers who want a course-shaped foundation in Java. Its focus on both practical language details and underlying programming methods gives beginners a framework for understanding not just what code says, but how to approach the problems it is meant to solve.