Books

Introduction to Algorithms (MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)

Average customer rating:

Fantastic algorithms book
Good Reference, Poor Textbook
Too much and too little
Great book with one major shortcoming
Great text, great reference

Introduction to Algorithms (MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)
Thomas H. Cormen , Charles E. Leiserson , and Ronald L. Rivest
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Operating Systems | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Mathematics | Science | Subjects | Books

Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach (2nd Edition)
Introduction to the Theory of Computation, Second Edition
Operating System Concepts
Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software Interface, Third Edition (The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Architecture and Design) (The ... Series in Computer Architecture and Design)
Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools (2nd Edition)

ASIN: 0262031418

Amazon.com

If you had to buy just one text on algorithms, Introduction to Algorithms is a magnificent choice. The book begins by considering the mathematical foundations of the analysis of algorithms and maintains this mathematical rigor throughout the work. The tools developed in these opening sections are then applied to sorting, data structures, graphs, and a variety of selected algorithms including computational geometry, string algorithms, parallel models of computation, fast Fourier transforms (FFTs), and more.

This book's strength lies in its encyclopedic range, clear exposition, and powerful analysis. Pseudo-code explanation of the algorithms coupled with proof of their accuracy makes this book is a great resource on the basic tools used to analyze the performance of algorithms.

Book Description

This edition is no longer available. Please see the Second Edition of this title.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic algorithms book.......2007-06-03

This is one of the few books that I've kept from my undergrad days as a computer science major. Although I haven't been doing software development in a while, I still use it for reference once in a while. It's easy to understand and timeless reference book. I work for a large DoD company and quite a few of my co-workers have this book on their shelves as well. (We all went to different colleges.)

Good Reference, Poor Textbook.......2007-04-19

This is a good reference for researchers, but it is not suitable for beginners. For anyone who try to study algorithms in the beginning, he just needs the big picture of this course, but this book contains too many mathematical proofs. In other words, the beginners just want a cup of milk, but the authors of this book give them a whole cow.

Although this book is quite huge, it does not contain some important topics, like online algorithms, randomized algorithms ... etc. In fact, this book should try to 'lose its weight' in order to get more useful knowledge.

The book contains a lot of interesting exercises, but does not indicate any hints or solutions. In fact, some of those exercises are too hard for students, and the authors should try to announce all sloutions in the website.

Too much and too little.......2007-03-02

+ Defacto standard
+ Accompanying WebCourse

- Too deep if used as an intro book; lacks solutions if used for a reference book
- It's HUGE!; hard to carry around

= Tries to appease too wide an audience. Definately attractive to professors who already know the information and feel this is THE book yet probably too deep for an intro algorithms class. Wish there was a searchable pdf version that came with the book on a CD as well as odd numbered solutions.

Great book with one major shortcoming.......2007-02-12

What it is:
A very thick text book about a) the mathematics behind algorithms, and b) a treasure chest of random performance tips.

Who it's for:
This book is for those who want or need to gain a decent grasp of the math for analyzing algorithms, and already have a decent understanding of discrete mathematics and probability.

What's good about it:
I really like this book. It's very high quality, well written, concise, and clear, and it's sprinkled with clever little tips to improve the efficiency of common routines.

Tips:
You can watch video recordings of the MIT lectures based on the book. Check out "6.046J Introduction to Algorithms" by searching for "ocw 6.046J" in your favorite search engine. The mathematical prerequisite course is also available in text form on MIT's OpenCourseWare; it can be found by searching for "ocw 6.042J spring 2005".

Warnings:
* Don't bother with this book unless you have a high aptitude for math
* Don't bother with this book unless you're prepared to work at it
* It's not designed as a reference book; instead it's a study book.

Many reviewers have called this book a "reference", but I have to disagree. A good reference book makes information quickly accessible, but this book would require you to read way too much to be called a reference. A practical reference book for algorithms is "The Algorithm Design Manual" by Steven S. Skiena, assuming you don't require proofs.

The Major Shortcoming!
Given that the book's design is most appropriate for learning things you don't already know, it has one major shortcoming: there are no answers to any of the exercises or problems. That makes the book semi-useless for self-study as well as for instructors who believe in the pedagogic value of students being able to check their answers. The instructor's manual is only available to instructors on the condition that they don't make the answers available.

Great text, great reference.......2007-02-10

The de facto standard for many algorithms courses. It's a great text with well-structured proofs, examples and exercises. It's also a great reference that I constantly find on the shelves of co-workers. Definitely a keeper that will come in handy for years to come.

Definitely not for those without a strong discrete math background. This book gives you the foundations and not just code.

Cheaper than the bookstores as always.

Introduction to Algorithms (MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Ser.)

Average customer rating:

Introduction to Algorithms (MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Ser.)
Thomas H.; Leiserson, Charles E.; Rivest, Ronald L. Cormen
Manufacturer: MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLW90Y

Introduction to Algorithms. (MIT Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Ser.)

Average customer rating:

Introduction to Algorithms. (MIT Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Ser.)
Thomas H., Charles E. Leiserson, & Ronald L. Rivest. Cormen
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OR426C

Books:

Books