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Algorithms |  | Authors: Sanjoy Dasgupta, Christos Papadimitriou, Umesh Vazirani
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math
Buy New: $26.11
as of 3/19/2010 08:15 CDT details
New (16) Used (19) from $20.00
Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 146866
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 0073523402
Dewey Decimal Number: 518.1
EAN: 9780073523408
ASIN: 0073523402
Publication Date: September 13, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
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
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 19
 Not a stand alone text for undergrads or those with little background March 17, 2010
SpeedisaVirus (Magnolia, DE)
This book is rather thin on material to be used for introductory work which is more of a complaint with those that chose it for the course rather than the book. Against the book however, most ideas are either skimmed over quickly or vaguely alluded to even though they share a great deal of importance in building a comprehensive understanding. Additionally, many problems in the exercises section don't have sufficient material covered in the chapter to tackle them without additional knowledge.
Definitely not a stand alone text.
 Algorithms October 12, 2009
Joey Mangan
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I purchased this book for a college course. It came in plenty of time for school.
I will always buy school books first from amazon. I will not pay full price for a
book that is almost in perfect condition. Amazon is a great way to buy books.
As a student June 10, 2009
Cesar C. Garcia (Riverside, CA)
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
I took this class as a student and I was not impressed at all by the text. The text is far too informal. The problems unchallenging. The algorithms uninteresting. The historical content was far too sparse. If you are going to have history, have enough that it satisfies or have none at all. I would recommend "How to Think About Algorithms" by Jeff Edmonds over this book any day.
great book that covers a lot of ground May 24, 2009
Bugra (New York, NY USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is one of the best algorithms books out there. What I like about it is the breadth of the topics discussed. I wouldn't suggest it as a starters book by its own though. Many of the topics it discusses have introductory books of their own with more details, such as graph theory/algorithms, numerical algorithms, linear programming, randomized algorithms, quantum algorithms, theory of computation, etc. What amazes me about this book is how it puts all these things into perspective. I had great fun reading this book, even though I have studied most of these individual areas before. The book does not delve into rigorous proofs, but rather gives the crux of the proof in most of the cases. This, in my opinion, is one of the great virtues of the book.
The typical CS student enters the world of algorithms via data structures, search and sort, shortest paths, graph algorithms, etc. Some students end up with a very limited view of the field. I strongly believe that a CS graduate should be familiar with all the topics discussed in this book, may be with the exception of the chapter on quantum computing. I really like the subject of the first few chapters which lead to the RSA algorithm. The book tells you from the start that this is not your traditional algorithms book.
Better as a Refresher Than a Stand-Alone Textbook March 3, 2009
Charasan (Terre Haute, IN USA)
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
I am in the unfortunate situation of being in my first Algorithms class using this as our sole textbook. While this textbook does gloss over the subjects I need to know, for each chapter in the book only the most basic of examples are given, and each chapter makes constant references to chapters and pages well before it, so much flipping back and forth is done to grasp a concept (to understand what we're doing in 3.4, please look at the diagram in 2.3, for example). And while the chapters cover the very basics of a concept, the problems at the end of each chapter often start right off with questions not even remotely covered in the chapter, taking stuff to a level I can't even begin to grasp as of yet.
The only reason I didn't give this book 1 star is because I think this book might be good for a refresher of Algorithms for someone who'd already learned them and needed to brush up. For that alone, I might consider keeping this book at the end of the semester. This seriously strikes me as one of those textbooks written by the grad students and barely glanced at by the professors credited with it. Seems to be a reoccurring theme in my academic life.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 19
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