Description
A hands-on, problem-based introduction to building algorithms and data structures to solve problems with a computer.
Algorithmic Thinking will teach you how to solve challenging programming problems and design your own algorithms. Daniel Zingaro, a master teacher, draws his examples from world-class programming competitions like USACO and IOI. You’ll learn how to classify problems, choose data structures, and identify appropriate algorithms. You’ll also learn how your choice of data structure, whether a hash table, heap, or tree, can affect runtime and speed up your algorithms; and how to adopt powerful strategies like recursion, dynamic programming, and binary search to solve challenging problems.
Line-by-line breakdowns of the code will teach you how to use algorithms and data structures like:
- The breadth-first search algorithm to find the optimal way to play a board game or find the best way to translate a book
- Dijkstra’s algorithm to determine how many mice can exit a maze or the number of fastest routes between two locations
- The union-find data structure to answer questions about connections in a social network or determine who are friends or enemies
- The heap data structure to determine the amount of money given away in a promotion
- The hash-table data structure to determine whether snowflakes are unique or identify compound words in a dictionary
NOTE: Each problem in this book is available on a programming-judge website. You’ll find the site’s URL and problem ID in the description. What’s better than a free correctness check?
‘Exudes Clarity’
“With Zingaro as a tutor by your side, you’ll learn, through practice on challenging competition problems, a repeatable process for figuring out and deftly applying the most appropriate algorithmic tools for the job. You’ll learn it all from a book that exudes clarity, humor, and just the right dose of Canadian pride. Happy problem-solving!”
—Dr. Tim Roughgarden, Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University
‘A Good Choice’
“A good choice for anyone who needs to understand and implement algorithms.”
—RedGreenCode
‘Clear and Engaging’
“A clear and engaging text . . . Algorithmic Thinking takes you from the initial idea to the final breakthrough, setbacks and all. Problem solving is a raw, real journey, and this book captures its spirit perfectly. I highly recommend it.”
—Ava Pun, medal winner in the International Olympiad in Informatics Programming Competition
About the Author
Dr. Daniel Zingaro is an assistant teaching professor of computer science and award-winning teacher at the University of Toronto. His main area of research is computer science education research, where he studies how students learn (and sometimes don’t learn) computer science material.
Who Should Read This Book
This book is for any programmer who wants to learn how to solve tough problems. You’ll learn many data structures and algorithms, their benefits, the types of problems they can help you solve, and how to implement them.
Book details
- Author : Daniel Zingaro
- Publisher : No Starch Press
- Publication date : December 15, 2020
- Print length : 408 pages
- Language : English
- Format : Paperback
