Algorithms (Paperback)

~ (Author), Christos Papadimitriou (Author), Umesh Vazirani (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This text, extensively class-tested over a decade at UC Berkeley and UC San Diego, explains the fundamentals of algorithms in a story line that makes the material enjoyable and easy to digest. Emphasis is placed on understanding the crisp mathematical idea behind each algorithm, in a manner that is intuitive and rigorous without being unduly formal.

Features include: The use of boxes to strengthen the narrative: pieces that provide historical context, descriptions of how the algorithms are used in practice, and excursions for the mathematically sophisticated.

Carefully chosen advanced topics that can be skipped in a standard one-semester course, but can be covered in an advanced algorithms course or in a more leisurely two-semester sequence.

An accessible treatment of linear programming introduces students to one of the greatest achievements in algorithms. An optional chapter on the quantum algorithm for factoring provides a unique peephole into this exciting topic. In addition to the text, DasGupta also offers a Solutions Manual, which is available on the Online Learning Center.

"Algorithms is an outstanding undergraduate text, equally informed by the historical roots and contemporary applications of its subject. Like a captivating novel, it is a joy to read." Tim Roughgarden Stanford University

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math; 1 edition (September 13, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0073523402
• ISBN-13: 978-0073523408
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #268,617 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a masterpiece, March 13, 2007

By	T. Liu - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a professor in a state university, I learn, teach, and research on computer algorithms. Not many computer books are a joy to read, but
this one is exceptional: It is concise, informative, and inspiring.

I don't know since when computer books are synonymous to boring, lengthy
piles of printed papers filled with screen dumps. Truely innovative
books are rare. Not only does this book explain algorithms clearly, it also tells the stories behind them.

I would consider this book a good complement rather than a substitution
to Corman et al's book Introduction to Algorithms (which is one of the
most widely used textbook for algorithm course). If you just want to
find a book where you can translate the suedo code into a program, this
is not for you. The focus of this book is to explain and to inspire (which is also what I believe the real "Education" should be) rather than
dumping the students' head with codes and rules.

I would also like to mention that the book "the design and analysis of
algorithms" is also a good one. It is good for most colleges at undergraduate level except for a few "top-level" universities.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introductory text on algorithms, October 14, 2006

By	Z. SONG (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of the best introductory text on algorithms I've ever read. The concepts are presented clearly, the writing style is lucid, and whole book is very easy to follow. It emphasizes the ideas and insightful hints behind every algorithms, rather than the overly rigorous mathmatic proofs often found in other books. The book also includes a lot of exercises, as a complementary to the content. The side bars also provide a lot of interesting information.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My first choice as an instructor, March 4, 2008

By	John R. Black "CS Professor" (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I occasionally teach algorithms at CU Boulder to our undergraduates. This book accomplishes what it set out to do: provide a comprehensible (but not comprehensive) treatment of a core piece of Computer Science at an affordable cost.

That we get one of the greatest researchers in the area (Papadimitriou) alongside two other distinguished authors is just icing on the cake.

The first printing had numerous errors, though the online version of the book had already corrected many of them. I haven't used the book since then, but will in the Fall, and I'd expect with the vigor already invested by the authors, the book will be in even better shape.

I'm glad they wrote this thing.. it was long overdue.