The Design and Analysis of Algorithms (Monographs in Computer Science) [Hardcover]

Dexter C. Kozen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 3, 1991 | ISBN-10: 0387976876 | ISBN-13: 978-0387976877 | Edition: 1

The design and analysis of algorithms is one of the two essential cornerstone topics in computer science (the other being automata theory/theory of computation). Every computer scientist has a copy of Knuth's works on algorithms on his or her shelf. Dexter Kozen, a researcher and professor at Cornell University, has written a text for graduate study of algorithms. This will be an important reference book as well as being a useful graduate-level textbook.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 330 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (December 3, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0387976876
• ISBN-13: 978-0387976877
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #284,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent self-study guide, March 31, 2000

By 

Sandeep Seri - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Design and Analysis of Algorithms (Monographs in Computer Science) (Hardcover)

The text conists of of 40 'lectures' or chapters, each about 4-5 pages, 10 moderately difficult 'homeworks', each about 3-4 problems and one set of 29 miscellaneous exercises. Solutions to both the homeworks and miscellaneous exercises are provided. The text is based on the notes used by the author at Cornell in a one-semester graduate course.

Each lecture is (largely) self-contained and brief. Being clearly written and concise makes it an excellent choice for those interested in self-study. The homeworks are the key to understanding the material. I would suggest trying for atleast a day before looking up the solutions.

For more comprehensive treatment of the topics dicussed in the book see "The design and analysis of computer algorithms" (Aho, Hopcroft and Ullman) and "Computers and Intractability" (Garey and Johnson).

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent supplementary text for a graduate course, December 2, 2001

By 

Optimistix (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Design and Analysis of Algorithms (Monographs in Computer Science) (Hardcover)

This book is basically a set of lecture notes used by Prof. Kozen at Cornell, plus some practise 'homework' exercises.

As such, it isn't really a textbook, and can't be used as the only book for a course in the design and analysis of algorithms - for that, you'll need the books by Aho et al, or Cormen et al. (Knuth's books, of course are great for the topics they cover; and while on the book by Cormen et al, there's a second edition now, since September 2001).

However,this is an excellent self-study supplement. There are 40 lectures, each being a concise, self-contained discussion on a chosen topic. Thus, you get a condensed presentation of the important points, along with invaluable insights from Prof. Kozen.

Another feature which makes this a great option for self-study/rapid review is that each chapter ends with 'homeworks', for which answers have been provided. There's a set of miscellaneous exercises as well.

It is important to realize that this is a graduate text, for those who are already familiar with data structures and algorithms. This is not an introductory text by any means, and would ill serve that purpose.

The author presumes a fairly strong background in basic data structures and algorithms as well as mathematics on the part of the reader, without which it may be very difficult to follow the presentation.

All in all, if you're doing a graduate course in the design and analysis of algorithms, then this is a superb choice for self-study, practising problem-solving and rapid review of already familiar topics.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars covers a lot of topics, sometimes difficult to follow, March 23, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Design and Analysis of Algorithms (Monographs in Computer Science) (Hardcover)

This book covers a lot of interesting topics and is very up-to-date with current research results in the field. Its main drawback is that it has few examples. It is also at times hard to follow, unless the reader is already somehow familiar with the material.