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Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd Edition (Mit Press) 3rd Edition

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,877 ratings

The latest edition of the essential text and professional reference, with substantial new material on such topics as vEB trees, multithreaded algorithms, dynamic programming, and edge-based flow.

Some books on algorithms are rigorous but incomplete; others cover masses of material but lack rigor. Introduction to Algorithms uniquely combines rigor and comprehensiveness. The book covers a broad range of algorithms in depth, yet makes their design and analysis accessible to all levels of readers. Each chapter is relatively self-contained and can be used as a unit of study. The algorithms are described in English and in a pseudocode designed to be readable by anyone who has done a little programming. The explanations have been kept elementary without sacrificing depth of coverage or mathematical rigor.

The first edition became a widely used text in universities worldwide as well as the standard reference for professionals. The second edition featured new chapters on the role of algorithms, probabilistic analysis and randomized algorithms, and linear programming. The third edition has been revised and updated throughout. It includes two completely new chapters, on van Emde Boas trees and multithreaded algorithms, substantial additions to the chapter on recurrence (now called "Divide-and-Conquer"), and an appendix on matrices. It features improved treatment of dynamic programming and greedy algorithms and a new notion of edge-based flow in the material on flow networks. Many exercises and problems have been added for this edition. The international paperback edition is no longer available; the hardcover is available worldwide.


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Editorial Reviews

Review

""Introduction to Algorithms, " the 'bible' of the field, is a comprehensive textbook covering the full spectrum of modern algorithms: from the fastest algorithms and data structures to polynomial-time algorithms for seemingly intractable problems, from classical algorithms in graph theory to special algorithms for string matching, computational geometry, and number theory. The revised third edition notably adds a chapter on van Emde Boas trees, one of the most useful data structures, and on multithreaded algorithms, a topic of increasing importance."--Daniel Spielman, Department of Computer Science, Yale University

"As an educator and researcher in the field of algorithms for over two decades, I can unequivocally say that the Cormen book is the best textbook that I have ever seen on this subject. It offers an incisive, encyclopedic, and modern treatment of algorithms, and our department will continue to use it for teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, as well as a reliable research reference."--Gabriel Robins, Department of Computer Science, University of Virginia

"In light of the explosive growth in the amount of data and the diversity of computing applications, efficient algorithms are needed now more than ever. This beautifully written, thoughtfully organized book is the definitive introductory book on the design and analysis of algorithms. The first half offers an effective method to teach and study algorithms; the second half then engages more advanced readers and curious students with compelling material on both the possibilities and the challenges in this fascinating field."--Shang-Hua Teng, University of Southern California

"

About the Author

Thomas H. Cormen is Professor of Computer Science and former Director of the Institute for Writing and Rhetoric at Dartmouth College. He is the coauthor (with Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, and Clifford Stein) of the leading textbook on computer algorithms, Introduction to Algorithms (third edition, MIT Press, 2009).

Charles E. Leiserson is Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Ronald L. Rivest is Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Clifford Stein is Professor of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at Columbia University.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0262033844
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MIT Press; 3rd edition (September 1, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 1292 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780262033848
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0262033848
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.95 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.08 x 8.18 x 2.06 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,877 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
1,877 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book great for learning about algorithms and advanced data structures. They describe it as gorgeous, with clear figures that illustrate concepts. Readers mention it's a classic and has nostalgia value. However, some customers have reported that pages are falling out of the binding. Opinions are mixed on clarity and ease of understanding, with some finding it clear and concise, while others say the explanations never start at simple and build up from there.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

138 customers mention "Content"117 positive21 negative

Customers find the book a great resource for learning about algorithms and advanced data structures. They say it does a terrific job of demystifying topics and giving clear, concise explanations. Readers also mention the book is a wonderful reference guide to the world of algorithms. However, some readers mention the subject matter is very technical.

"...The textbook feedback is seriously helpful, but I could not manage without the lectures...." Read more

"...This book does a terrific job of demystifying topics and giving you a clear and concise notion of the fundamentals which make the algorithm work...." Read more

"...but mildly informative or they are difficult to comprehend but incredibly informative...." Read more

"...The book more than "combines rigor and comprehensiveness" as it says on the back, and it will almost certainly be an indispensable reference in the..." Read more

17 customers mention "Look"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very nice and detailed. They say it's gorgeous and great at making them look smart. Readers appreciate the clear figures that illustrate concepts explained in the book. They also appreciate the addition of more realistic examples.

"...The figures are really well done and informative.Drawbacks:-..." Read more

"...It breaks them down so well and in such great detail that it's absolutely impossible not to know enough to understand them in the end..." Read more

"...Clear figures illustrate the concept explained in the book and come examples and exercises are presented...." Read more

"...great at making me looks smart to people who look at my bookshelf...." Read more

9 customers mention "Realism"7 positive2 negative

Customers find the book realism. They mention it's classic and has nostalgia value.

"...who have been in the field for a while, owning this book also has nostalgia value. It's like owning a NES Classic...." Read more

"Book came fast and in perfect condition.Cover - new, untouched, great conditionBinding - looks strong to me..." Read more

"This book is my textbook and it is so classic that I decided to buy a new one for self collection...." Read more

"The book is old. The cover page also looks old. Simply didn't meet my expectation." Read more

8 customers mention "Value for money"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a bargain and well worth it.

"...math and the theoretical text gets very heavy, but I think it's well worth it...." Read more

"...setting, look no futher - it's excellent, and quite reasonably priced for a textbook. I have no true qualms with the content...." Read more

"This is the Indian edition and is quite of a bargain, as it is way cheaper than the US edition...." Read more

"...But it was a lot cheaper than the standard edition." Read more

80 customers mention "Clarity"47 positive33 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the clarity of the book. Some mention it gives a clear and concise notion of the fundamentals, while others say the explanations never start simple and build up from there.

"...This book does an amazing job of demonstrating the mathematical basis of cs...." Read more

"...These homework assignments were hard, taking around 8 hours to complete, and I still missed a lot of them, but it still worked...." Read more

"...does a terrific job of demystifying topics and giving you a clear and concise notion of the fundamentals which make the algorithm work...." Read more

"...It makes reading the rest a breeze. Chapter 2 is your legend to this map of the Algorithmic world...." Read more

21 customers mention "Ease of understanding"12 positive9 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the ease of understanding of the book. Some mention it's easy to understand for an undergraduate, while others say it's frustrating and impossible to follow.

"...This is one of the rare gems I have found to be both simplistic in its instruction and very informative...." Read more

"...only presents trivial examples of this while the problem sets ask for significantly more work...." Read more

"...As for the actual content and how easy it is to understand for an undergraduate... Well I do plan to go for PHD and this book has been very helpful..." Read more

"...The text provides few examples and relies far too much on its problems as a teaching aid...." Read more

8 customers mention "Pseudo code"5 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pseudocode in the book. Some mention it's good and clear, while others say it's often wrong and incomplete.

"...explanation of classic algorithms used in computer science and provides pseudocode so that if you're motivated enough, you can implement them..." Read more

"...I've stumbled upon incomplete sections with incorrect code..." Read more

"A great book to have as a reference on Algorithms. Includes pseudo-code for nearly all types of complex data structures that you may want to..." Read more

"Book. I have to keep reading. Lot of information and good pseudo code. If there was solutions to exercises it would have been great" Read more

9 customers mention "Page fallout"0 positive9 negative

Customers are dissatisfied with the pages falling out of the book. They mention that entire sections are falling out of the binding.

"...All of chapters 15 and 16 are completely falling out of my copy (and this is getting worse). Very disappointing as I plan on using it for a long time." Read more

"...but I rented it, they gave me a used copy, and now entire sections are falling out of the binding... chapters 17-21...." Read more

"It shipped in a bag. Binding is destroyed, cover is falling off and an eighth of the pages we folded over and pressed that way." Read more

"...where the pages were of poor quality and fell out very easily...." Read more

Top-Notch Content, Poor Binding
4 out of 5 stars
Top-Notch Content, Poor Binding
This is probably the most well known and most used textbook on the subject, and with good reason. An excellent resource, covering just about everything you need to know for a good understanding of Algorithms. (side tip, my friends in the industry call this the "How To Pass a Google Interview" book).My only complaint is that the binding has completely stated disintegrating after only 9 weeks of use. All of chapters 15 and 16 are completely falling out of my copy (and this is getting worse). Very disappointing as I plan on using it for a long time.
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2014
I am a math major who has taken a few cs courses from the cs department at my university. Up until reading this book cs has always been a bit of a mystery to me. I have heard a million and one time how cs is based on mathematics but aside from understanding the idea of traversing through arrays as you would the indexes of a sequence, I have never really seen the connection between the two subjects. This book does an amazing job of demonstrating the mathematical basis of cs. From the very beginning when the authors deconstruct the for-loop used in a insert-sort into a variation on mathematical induction the lines between the two subjects are made crystal clear.

I would agree that a pretty solid understanding of mathematics is required for this book, and I can see why someone coming from a typical undergraduate education in cs would find it difficult and intimidating to tackle this book. It definitely does not teach you how to program or the basics of object oriented design as it proceeds to teach you about structure and design of algorithms. I can also understand why someone hoping to simply get a job as a "programmer" or "software engineer" would not necessarily be well served by this book. The authors are very upfront on this note though, and specifically warn prospective students that they are not going to teach them how to "code" solutions to common cs problems. What they are going to teach them is the fundamentals of algorithm analysis and design. How valuable prospective students find this approach is going to depend entirely on what exactly they hope to do with their understanding of computer science. If you want to learn how to code and be paid to be a developer (not a bad line of work by any stretch of the imagination) you might want to look else where.

For someone coming from a mathematics background though (whether it's an applied field such as statistics or numerical analysis or a pure field like abstract algebra or analysis) this is an excellent introduction to the field of computer science. If you are coming from a math background the analysis and structure of algorithms as presented in this book will instantly click. For me personally I loved the fact that the underlining mathematical basis of cs did not get lost in details of coding or working within certain developmental environments like Eclipse. Again, probably not an ideal choice for someone looking to learn this particular subjects, but definitely a good choice for math majors (or prospective cs grad students).
31 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2024
Good read!
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2012
"An Introduction to Algorithms", a big book, is worthwhile the time. But, I must admit to being 1/4 through iTunes U MIT course "6-046J: Introduction to Algorithms". The textbook feedback is seriously helpful, but I could not manage without the lectures. For what it is worth, my life's course has been the trash-heap quality programming must immediately face, and I've started the course to try to put into some perspective what my efforts have meant over the years, if now largely obsolete. The number of relevant insights have been affirming- I've played in a busy patch and many of the topics covered (to date) have indeed been of real interest ... if only I had known a bit more at the time about what was in fact a lot of blundering around. And, there are some gems. My 1968 Graduate Diploma included some list management, for which which "move to front- MTF" can only be described as spookily revealing of what was going on all those years ago. Modern methods are scary. Such a simple process being within 50% of the efficiency (25% as described in the applicable lecture with reference to the optimising original paper) of what God could manage is humblingly inspiring. Buy the book if you intend to devote a slab of life to getting better acquainted with modern applied logic, but remember the lectures.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2017
Was this expensive? Yes. Was it overpriced? No.

My algorithms class was hard (what algorithms class isn't), and I'm not always an ideal student. I had a lot of trouble attending lectures and keeping up with the lecture recordings posted online. Still, I managed to get a 90/100 on my first exam. Not bad, right? I mean, even if it's only barely an A, it was still a high grade right? WRONG! It was an amazing grade! Turns out the class average was 45/100, and I had the highest grade in the class.

Pretty crazy, right? WRONG! Exam 2 was where things got crazy. Maybe I was getting over confident, or maybe I was just really lazy, but I didn't watch or attend a single lecture between Exam 1 and Exam 2. The class average was a decent 83/108 this time, but my grade was 108/108. A perfect score without watching a single lecture. So what happened?

I wasn't kidding about being a non-ideal student. I had a 2.9 GPA in undergrad, so I didn't manage this through sheer brain power. What I *did* do was a single homework assignment from this book before every test. After attending office hours before exam 2, I found out that almost everyone else was finding the answers online and copying them for good homework grades. These homework assignments were hard, taking around 8 hours to complete, and I still missed a lot of them, but it still worked.

It is no exaggeration to say that the homework problems in this book got me an A in Analysis of Algorithms.
12 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Francisco
5.0 out of 5 stars para los ingenieros
Reviewed in Mexico on June 19, 2022
si eres ingeniro de software o ingeniero informatico en general, este libro es indispensable, no es un libro de solo leer y de que en un mes lo terminas, hay que leerlo, entenderlo, y trabajar los ejercicios, si quieres aplicar para alguna posicion en una FAANG el 90% de las pruebas tecnicas estan basadas en cosas de este libro, por lo que dominarlo, te deja casi seguro que pasaras las entrevistas :)
Luis Carlos Absalon Rojas Torres
5.0 out of 5 stars Nao é por acaso que é a Biblia dos Algoritmos neh
Reviewed in Brazil on December 13, 2021
Gostei da qualidade do livro. Ja tinha o pdf porém este livro é daqueles que vc quer na sua biblioteca
Valentino Tomasovic
5.0 out of 5 stars Sorgfältig
Reviewed in Germany on May 19, 2023
Das Produkt kam sorgfältig und gut verpackt an. Es weist leichte Gebrauchsspuren auf, was aber beim Kauf mit angegeben wurde. Somit passt alles und ich bin zufrieden.
Fernando j.
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect boek!
Reviewed in the Netherlands on December 28, 2021
Het boek kwam in perfecte conditie, probleemloos en perfect verpakt.
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Fernando j.
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect boek!
Reviewed in the Netherlands on December 28, 2021
Het boek kwam in perfecte conditie, probleemloos en perfect verpakt.
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Lucas Werner Seoane
5.0 out of 5 stars Llegó en perfecto estado
Reviewed in Spain on July 31, 2021
Perfecto! El libro es imprescindible para hacerse un master en algoritmos y estructura de datos. Es muy muy claro en eso y va al detalle absolutamente de todo
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Lucas Werner Seoane
5.0 out of 5 stars Llegó en perfecto estado
Reviewed in Spain on July 31, 2021
Perfecto! El libro es imprescindible para hacerse un master en algoritmos y estructura de datos. Es muy muy claro en eso y va al detalle absolutamente de todo
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