The Algorithm Design Manual, Hardcover

Most professional programmers that I've encountered are not well prepared to tacklealgorithmdesignproblems.Thisisapity, becausethetechniquesofalgorithm design form one of the core practical technologies of computer science. Designing correct, e?cient, and implementable algorithms for real-world problems requires access to two distinct bodies of knowledge: - Techniques - Good algorithm designers understand several fundamental - gorithm design techniques, including data structures, dynamic programming, depth-?rst search, backtracking, and heuristics. Perhaps the single most - portantdesigntechniqueismodeling, theartofabstractingamessyreal-world application into a clean problem suitable for algorithmic attack. - Resources - Good algorithm designers stand on the shoulders of giants. Ratherthanlaboringfromscratchtoproduceanewalgorithmforeverytask, they can ?gure out what is known about a particular problem. Rather than re-implementing popular algorithms from scratch, they seek existing imp- mentations to serve as a starting point. They are familiar with many classic algorithmic problems, which provide su?cient source material to model most any application. This book is intended as a manual on algorithm design, providing access to combinatorial algorithm technology for both students and computer professionals.

About the Author:

Steven Skiena is Professor of Computer Science at Stony Brook University. His research interests include the design of graph, string, and geometric algorithms, and their applications (particularly to biology). He is the author of four books, including "The Algorithm Design Manual" and "Calculated Bets: Computers, Gambling, and Mathematical Modeling to Win." He is recipient of the ONR Young Investigator Award and the IEEE Computer Science and Engineering Undergraduate Teaching Award.