Автор: Udi Manber
Название: Introduction to Algorithms: A Creative Approach
Издательство: Addison-Wesley
Год: 1989
ISBN: 978-0201120370
Язык: English
Формат: pdf
Размер: 36,9 mb
Страниц: 478

This book emphasizes the creative side of algorithm design. Its main purpose is to show the reader how to design a new algorithm. Algorithms are not described in a sequence of “problem X, algorithm A, algorithm A', program P, program Pand so on. Instead, the sequence usually (although not always) looks more like “problem X, the straightforward algorithm, its drawbacks, the difficulties overcoming these drawbacks, first attempts at a better algorithm (including possible wrong turns), improvements, analysis, relation to other methods and algorithms,” and so on. The goal is to present an algorithm not in a way that makes it easier for a programmer to translate into a program, but rather in a way that makes it easier to understand the algorithm’s principles. The algorithms are thus explained through a creative process, rather than as finished products. Our goals in teaching algorithms are to show not only how to solve particular problems, but also how to solve new problems when they arise in the future. Teaching the thinking involved in designing an algorithm is as important as teaching the details of the solution.

The heart of this creative process lies in an analogy between proving mathematical theorems by induction and designing combinatorial algorithms. The book contains hundreds of problems and examples. It is designed to enhance the reader's problem-solving abilities and understanding of the principles behind algorithm design.