The Algorithm Design Manual

This material has been developed over a period of several years in an upper-division course taught to computer science students at SUNY, Stony Brook, by Steve Skiena. A major goal of the author has been to take some of the "mystery" out of identifying and dealing with algorithms which these students will later use in the workplace, drawing heavily on the author's own real-world experiences, the book stressing design and analysis. Thus the work takes on a very practical character, as reflected in its title: "Manual". The Book is divided into two parts, the first being a general guide to techniques for the design and analysis of computer algorithms. The second is a reference section, comprising the catalog of algorithmic resources, implementations, and an extensive bibliography. The primary audience for this book/CD-ROM combination is the working professional who uses algorithms on a daily basis and has need for a handy reference.A major feature of this book is the inclusion of a complete "catalog" of important algorithmic problems.By browsing this catalog, readers can quickly identify what the problem they have encountered is called, what is known about it, and how they should proceed if they need to solve it. Nothing like this catalog exists in the computing literature for general computer algorithms. This work can also readily be used as a course supplement or adjunct text in standard courses on algorithm design, or simply as a "student reference guide", as the author puts it. Pedagogic features include pen-and-paper exercises, "team projects", independent student projects, "take home" lessons (goals) at the beginning of chapters. Other teaching and learning aids reside on the accompanying CD-ROM.