Data Structures and Algorithms in Java (Worldwide Series in Computer Science) [Hardcover]

Michael T. Goodrich (Author), Roberto Tamassia (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471193089 | ISBN-13: 978-0471193081 | Publication Date: January 23, 1998 | Edition: First Edition

Using a unique multimedia format for learning the fundamentals of data structures and algorithms, this conceptually elegant and innovative text incorporates the object-oriented design paradigm with Java as the implementation language. The result is a learning experience that provides the fundamental intuition and analysis of each structure studied. A Web site complete with Java applications and applets accompanies the text.

Includes CD-ROM with... The Microsoft Visual J++ programming environment.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Using a unique multimedia format for learning the fundamentals of data structures and algorithms, this conceptually elegant and innovative text incorporates the object-oriented design paradigm with Java as the implementation language. The result is a learning experience that provides the fundamental intuition and analysis of each structure studied. A Web site complete with Java applications and applets accompanies the text. Includes CD-ROM with... The Microsoft Visual J++ programming environment.

From the Back Cover

A Clear, Visual Approach to Fundamental Data Structures and Algorithms

Goodrich and Tamassia's DATA STRUCTURES AND ALGORITHMS IN JAVA, 2/E, incorporates the object-oriented design paradigm, using Java as the implementation language. The authors provide intuition, description, and analysis of fundamental data structures and algorithms. Numerous illustrations, web-based animations, and simplified mathematical analyses justify important analytical concepts.

In the Second Edition, the authors have improved their text by simplifying advanced topics, including many new exercises, and revising most Java code exmples. You'll also find updated and expanded coverage of Internet-related topics, Object-oriented design, and the Java programming language, including the Collections framework and Design Patterns.

Features

• Visual justifications help readers better understand difficult concepts.
• Object-oriented design provide clear approaches for creating Java code.
• Randomization replaces complex coverage-case analysis of sophisticated data structures.
• Improved Web site (www.wiley.com/college/cs2java) includes:
  PILOT - An interactive system for visualizing, solving and grading graph algorithm problems
  Java code examples
  Algorithms visualization tools
  A Complete Java Software Library especially designed for a CS2 course
  A student hint server for selected exercises
  Numerous instructor resources

  --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 760 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; First Edition edition (January 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471193089
• ISBN-13: 978-0471193081
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,217,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hundreds of typos, and authors apparently don't want to know, November 25, 2005

By 

Jonathan Pool (Berkeley, California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Data Structures and Algorithms in Java (Hardcover)

I'm finding the 4th edition reasonably clear and comprehensive. However, the book is teeming with typographical errors. Most of them are typesetting errors involving superscripts and subscripts that overlap the adjacent characters so they aren't fully legible. But there are numerous other miscellaneous typos.

So, I've been marking them in my copy, in order to submit them to the authors or publisher, but apparently they don't want to know about the typos. The "errata" section at java.datastructures.net contains no errata and no instructions on how to submit errata. I wrote to one of the authors to ask how to submit errata, but received no reply.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Third edition is much improved, May 13, 2005

By 

David Schaich "David Schaich" (Boulder, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Data Structures and Algorithms in Java (Hardcover)

When I learned that this was the required book for my introductory data structures class this semester, I was somewhat worried by the large number of very negative reviews I saw it had received here. However, during the first class meeting, the professor made a point of instructing us to get the third edition (published in 2004), explaining that the differences between the second and third editions were significant.

Judging by the older reviews below, he was right - the book I read seems to bear little if any resemblance to the one denounced by the other reviewers. I found it clear and readable, though it was rather basic and dry. But then, I wasn't expecting great literature - this is a introductory compsci textbook, after all. Though it could be dull at times, it generally managed to get its information across clearly, which is all it needs to do. There were some typos, of course, though probably not more than should be expected to accompany such a major revision. The book's main flaw was an index that had essentially no relation to the actual text itself. A corrected index is available at the book's Web site.

In terms of organization, Goodrich and Tamassia start off with a brief introduction to Java, object oriented design and a brief and very basic discussion of running time and asymptotic analysis. They then work their way through basic data structures and abstract data types - stacks, queues, vectors, lists, trees (general, binary, and binary search), priority queues, heaps, dictionaries, hash tables and graphs. They discuss the structures' purposes and major operations, analyze the operations' running times, and include decent, heavily-documented Java implementations of some of the structures and methods. They also do some stuff with algorithms, though generally nothing very complex or sophisticated. I used this book in an introductory data structures course at a liberal arts college, which managed to cover pretty much everything in the book with little difficulty.

There are a lot of exercises at the end of each chapter. Goodrich and Tamassia divide them up into progressively more complex "Reinforcement", "Creativity" and "Projects" sections. My instructor preferred to assign problems and programming assignments of his own creation, though, so I don't know how helpful or useful the exercises in the book actually are.

All in all, it seem Goodrich and Tamassia noticed the sort of reviews the earlier editions of this book were getting and took steps to correct the many problems they had. I expect that if you have to use the book in a data structures course, you'll find it at least reasonably clear and generally acceptable. As long as you're using the third edition, that is.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not Recommended, March 29, 2003

By 

Alex Green "alx779" (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Data Structures and Algorithms in Java (Hardcover)

Like many other reviewers, I had to purchase this book for one of my CS courses. As a reference book, it gets no more than 1 star. I find it often confusing in its explanations, incomplete code examples and uneven pace. I understand that it was designed to be a textbook, but it miserably fails to be of any value to a student. For 100+ bucks, I expected a lot more.