Kotlin from Scratch: A Project-Based Introduction for the Intrepid Programmer

Faisal Islam

Learn to code in Kotlin by starting from scratch and gradually building skills to tackle a wide range of fun and challenging problems. Kotlin is a cutting-edge programming language that seamlessly combines the best features of several popular programming languages, offering a streamlined and intuitive experience for developing robust, type-safe applications across multiple platforms. Though Kotlin is primarily known for Android app development, this book establishes its broader credentials for general-purpose coding—complete with geeky, hands-on projects that will take you from total beginner to proficient Kotlin developer. After learning the basics of the language and integrating the JavaFX library to generate graphics and data visualizations, you’ll apply your knowledge to solve 37 math, science, and algorithmic challenges of increasing complexity. You’ll model the motion of a pendulum, simulate the orbits of a binary star system, render enchanting fractals like the Mandelbrot set, implement ant colony optimization and other nature-inspired algorithms, and much more. Beyond the specifics of the Kotlin language, the book’s many projects will guide you in thinking systematically and strategically, teaching you how to develop problem-solving strategies before diving into actual code development. In addition, you’ll learn about concepts from numerical analysis and computer science such as convergence and stability, time and space complexity, recursion, sorting, searching, and several nature-inspired optimization techniques, all of which are applied to tackle real-world problems.