Master the most useful algorithms and build your problem-solving skills

Algorithms are the recipes that make efficient programming possible. Studying them lets you build a useful toolkit of methods for solving specific problems. Using Python and C#, this book introduces you to many classic algorithms, shows you where they work, and explains how to analyze them to understand their behavior. The study of algorithms also teaches general problem-solving techniques that make you a better programmer. You might find that this book not only helps you on the job, it may help you get the job.

Learn useful algorithms including

• Numerical algorithms: randomization, factoring, prime numbers, and numeric integration
• Methods for manipulating common data structures: arrays, linked lists, and networks
• More advanced data structures: heaps, trees, balanced trees, and B-trees

Learn these and other problem-solving techniques:

• Brute force or exhaustive search
• Divide and conquer
• Greedy algorithms and hill climbing
• Least cost algorithms
• Heuristics
• Constricting bounds