Analysis of Algorithms

--- Course Description ---

Algorithms are precisely stated, general problem solving methods suitable for computer implementation. Data Structures are methods of organizing data involved in computation. Algorithms and data structures are central objects of study in computer science. Once appropriate algorithms and data structures are chosen, all that remains in most computer programs is routine coding. Moreover, algorithms and data structures go hand in hand: neither can be studied fruitfully without knowledge of the other. The course studies techniques for designing and analyzing algorithms and data structures. The course concentrates on the logical process that leads to the creation of the algorithm, rather than the algorithm itself, and the techniques for evaluating the performance of algorithms. The central idea is that Computer Science is more than mere recipes; it is about computational thinking.

--- Course Topics Covered ---

• algorithm design basics: algorithm design with mathematical induction, asymptotic notation, and solving recurrence relations.

• algorithm design techniques: divide and conquer, dynamic programming, greedy algorithms, and backtracking.

• searching, sorting, and union-find.

• trees and red-black trees.

• string matching, sequence comparison, and Huffman codes.

• graph algorithms.

• NP-completeness.