This text, extensively class-tested over a decade at UC Berkeley and UC
San Diego, explains the fundamentals of algorithms in a story line that
makes the material enjoyable and easy to digest. Emphasis is placed on
understanding the crisp mathematical idea behind each algorithm, in a
manner that is intuitive and rigorous without being unduly formal.
Features include: The use of boxes to strengthen the narrative: pieces
that provide historical context, descriptions of how the algorithms are
used in practice, and excursions for the mathematically sophisticated.
Carefully chosen advanced topics that can be skipped in a standard
one-semester course, but can be covered in an advanced algorithms course
or in a more leisurely two-semester sequence.
An accessible treatment of linear programming introduces students to one
of the greatest achievements in algorithms. An optional chapter on the
quantum algorithm for factoring provides a unique peephole into this
exciting topic. In addition to the text, DasGupta also offers a
Solutions Manual, which is available on the Online Learning Center.
"Algorithms is an outstanding undergraduate text, equally informed by
the historical roots and contemporary applications of its subject. Like
a captivating novel, it is a joy to read." Tim Roughgarden Stanford
University
