Algorithmic Puzzles

Author: Anany Levitin
Publisher: OUP USA
ISBN: 0199740445
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 280

Book Description
Algorithmic puzzles are puzzles involving well-defined procedures for solving problems. This book will provide an enjoyable and accessible introduction to algorithmic puzzles that will develop the reader's algorithmic thinking. The first part of this book is a tutorial on algorithm design strategies and analysis techniques. Algorithm design strategies — exhaustive search, backtracking, divide-and-conquer and a few others — are general approaches to designing step-by-step instructions for solving problems. Analysis techniques are methods for investigating such procedures to answer questions about the ultimate result of the procedure or how many steps are executed before the procedure stops. The discussion is an elementary level, with puzzle examples, and requires neither programming nor mathematics beyond a secondary school level. Thus, the tutorial provides a gentle and entertaining introduction to main ideas in high-level algorithmic problem solving. The second and main part of the book contains 150 puzzles, from centuries-old classics to newcomers often asked during job interviews at computing, engineering, and financial companies. The puzzles are divided into three groups by their difficulty levels. The first fifty puzzles in the Easier Puzzles section require only middle school mathematics. The sixty puzzle of average difficulty and forty harder puzzles require just high school mathematics plus a few topics such as binary numbers and simple recurrences, which are reviewed in the tutorial. All the puzzles are provided with hints, detailed solutions, and brief comments. The comments deal with the puzzle origins and design or analysis techniques used in the solution. The book should be of interest to puzzle lovers, students and teachers of algorithm courses, and persons expecting to be given puzzles during job interviews.

First Course in Algorithms Through Puzzles

Author: Ryuhei Uehara
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 981133188X
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 179

Book Description
This textbook introduces basic algorithms and explains their analytical methods. All algorithms and methods introduced in this book are well known and frequently used in real programs. Intended to be self-contained, the contents start with the basic models, and no prerequisite knowledge is required. This book is appropriate for undergraduate students in computer science, mathematics, and engineering as a textbook, and is also appropriate for self-study by beginners who are interested in the fascinating field of algorithms. More than 40 exercises are distributed throughout the text, and their difficulty levels are indicated. Solutions and comments for all the exercises are provided in the last chapter. These detailed solutions will enable readers to follow the author’s steps to solve problems and to gain a better understanding of the contents. Although details of the proofs and the analyses of algorithms are also provided, the mathematical descriptions in this book are not beyond the range of high school mathematics. Some famous real puzzles are also used to describe the algorithms. These puzzles are quite suitable for explaining the basic techniques of algorithms, which show how to solve these puzzles.

Programming for the Puzzled

Author: Srini Devadas
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262343193
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 273

Book Description
Learning programming with one of “the coolest applications around”: algorithmic puzzles ranging from scheduling selfie time to verifying the six degrees of separation hypothesis. This book builds a bridge between the recreational world of algorithmic puzzles (puzzles that can be solved by algorithms) and the pragmatic world of computer programming, teaching readers to program while solving puzzles. Few introductory students want to program for programming's sake. Puzzles are real-world applications that are attention grabbing, intriguing, and easy to describe. Each lesson starts with the description of a puzzle. After a failed attempt or two at solving the puzzle, the reader arrives at an Aha! moment—a search strategy, data structure, or mathematical fact—and the solution presents itself. The solution to the puzzle becomes the specification of the code to be written. Readers will thus know what the code is supposed to do before seeing the code itself. This represents a pedagogical philosophy that decouples understanding the functionality of the code from understanding programming language syntax and semantics. Python syntax and semantics required to understand the code are explained as needed for each puzzle. Readers need only the rudimentary grasp of programming concepts that can be obtained from introductory or AP computer science classes in high school. The book includes more than twenty puzzles and more than seventy programming exercises that vary in difficulty. Many of the puzzles are well known and have appeared in publications and on websites in many variations. They range from scheduling selfie time with celebrities to solving Sudoku problems in seconds to verifying the six degrees of separation hypothesis. The code for selected puzzle solutions is downloadable from the book's website; the code for all puzzle solutions is available to instructors.

Poems That Solve Puzzles

Author: Chris Bleakley
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192595407
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Book Description
Algorithms are the hidden methods that computers apply to process information and make decisions. Nowadays, our lives are run by algorithms. They determine what news we see. They influence which products we buy. They suggest our dating partners. They may even be determining the outcome of national elections. They are creating, and destroying, entire industries. Despite mounting concerns, few know what algorithms are, how they work, or who created them. Poems that Solve Puzzles tells the story of algorithms from their ancient origins to the present day and beyond. The book introduces readers to the inventors and inspirational events behind the genesis of the world's most important algorithms. Professor Chris Bleakley recounts tales of ancient lost inscriptions, Victorian steam-driven contraptions, top secret military projects, penniless academics, hippy dreamers, tech billionaires, superhuman artificial intelligences, cryptocurrencies, and quantum computing. Along the way, the book explains, with the aid of clear examples and illustrations, how the most influential algorithms work. Compelling and impactful, Poems that Solve Puzzles tells the story of how algorithms came to revolutionise our world.

Learning Algorithms Through Programming and Puzzle Solving

Author: Alexander Kulikov
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780985731212
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
Learning Algorithms Through Programming and Puzzle Solving is one of the first textbooks to emerge from the recent Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) revolution and a com- panion to the authors' online specialization on Coursera and MicroMasters Program on edX. The book introduces a programming-centric approach to learning algorithms and strikes a unique balance between algorithmic ideas, programming challenges, and puz- zle solving. Since the launch of this project on Coursera and edX, hundreds of thousands students tried to solve programming challenges and algorithmic puzzles covered in this book.The book is also a step towards developing an Intelligent Tutoring System for learning algo- rithms. In a classroom, once a student takes a wrong turn, there are limited opportunities to ask a question, resulting in a learning breakdown, or the inability to progress further without individual guidance. When a student suffers a learning breakdown, that student needs immediate help in order to proceed. Traditional textbooks do not provide such help, but the automated grading system described in this MOOC book does!The book is accompanied by additional educational materials that include the book website, video lectures, slides, FAQs, and other resources available at Coursera and EdX.

Algorithmic Thinking

Author: Daniel Zingaro
Publisher: No Starch Press
ISBN: 1718500807
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 409

Book Description
A hands-on, problem-based introduction to building algorithms and data structures to solve problems with a computer. Algorithmic Thinking will teach you how to solve challenging programming problems and design your own algorithms. Daniel Zingaro, a master teacher, draws his examples from world-class programming competitions like USACO and IOI. You'll learn how to classify problems, choose data structures, and identify appropriate algorithms. You'll also learn how your choice of data structure, whether a hash table, heap, or tree, can affect runtime and speed up your algorithms; and how to adopt powerful strategies like recursion, dynamic programming, and binary search to solve challenging problems. Line-by-line breakdowns of the code will teach you how to use algorithms and data structures like: The breadth-first search algorithm to find the optimal way to play a board game or find the best way to translate a book Dijkstra's algorithm to determine how many mice can exit a maze or the number of fastest routes between two locations The union-find data structure to answer questions about connections in a social network or determine who are friends or enemies The heap data structure to determine the amount of money given away in a promotion The hash-table data structure to determine whether snowflakes are unique or identify compound words in a dictionary NOTE: Each problem in this book is available on a programming-judge website. You'll find the site's URL and problem ID in the description. What's better than a free correctness check?

The Puzzles of Nobuyuki Yoshigahara

Author: Andy Liu
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9783030628956
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 170

Book Description
This book convenes a selection of 200 mathematical puzzles with original solutions, all celebrating the inquisitive and inspiring spirit of Nobuyuki “Nob” Yoshigahara – a legend in the worldwide community of mathematical and mechanical puzzles. A graduate from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yoshigahara invented numerous mechanical puzzles and published over 80 puzzle books. In 2003, he was honored with the Sam Loyd Award, given by the Association for Games & Puzzles International to individuals who have been made a significant contribution to the world of mechanical puzzles. In this work, the reader will find some of the most ingenious puzzles ever created, organized in ten categories: Logic, matchstick, maze, algorithmic, combinatorial, digital, number, geometric, dissection, and others. Some of them could rivalry with those found at Mathematical Olympiads tests around the globe; others will work as powerful brain teasers for those with an interest in problem-solving. Math teachers, curious students of any age and even experienced mathematicians with a taste for the fun in science can find in this book unconventional paths to develop their problem-solving skills in a creative way.

Algorithmic Problem Solving

Author: Roland Backhouse
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470684534
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 434

Book Description
An entertaining and captivating way to learn the fundamentals of using algorithms to solve problems The algorithmic approach to solving problems in computer technology is an essential tool. With this unique book, algorithm guru Roland Backhouse shares his four decades of experience to teach the fundamental principles of using algorithms to solve problems. Using fun and well-known puzzles to gradually introduce different aspects of algorithms in mathematics and computing. Backhouse presents you with a readable, entertaining, and energetic book that will motivate and challenge you to open your mind to the algorithmic nature of problem solving. Provides a novel approach to the mathematics of problem solving focusing on the algorithmic nature of problem solving Uses popular and entertaining puzzles to teach you different aspects of using algorithms to solve mathematical and computing challenges Features a theory section that supports each of the puzzles presented throughout the book Assumes only an elementary understanding of mathematics Let Roland Backhouse and his four decades of experience show you how you can solve challenging problems with algorithms!

Data Structure and Algorithmic Thinking with Python

Author: Narasimha Karumanchi
Publisher: Careermonk Publications
ISBN: 9788192107592
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 472

Book Description
It is the Python version of "Data Structures and Algorithms Made Easy." Table of Contents: goo.gl/VLEUca Sample Chapter: goo.gl/8AEcYk Source Code: goo.gl/L8Xxdt The sample chapter should give you a very good idea of the quality and style of our book. In particular, be sure you are comfortable with the level and with our Python coding style. This book focuses on giving solutions for complex problems in data structures and algorithm. It even provides multiple solutions for a single problem, thus familiarizing readers with different possible approaches to the same problem. "Data Structure and Algorithmic Thinking with Python" is designed to give a jump-start to programmers, job hunters and those who are appearing for exams. All the code in this book are written in Python. It contains many programming puzzles that not only encourage analytical thinking, but also prepares readers for interviews. This book, with its focused and practical approach, can help readers quickly pick up the concepts and techniques for developing efficient and effective solutions to problems. Topics covered include: Organization of Chapters Introduction Recursion and Backtracking Linked Lists Stacks Queues Trees Priority Queues and Heaps Disjoint Sets ADT Graph Algorithms Sorting Searching Selection Algorithms [Medians] Symbol Tables Hashing String Algorithms Algorithms Design Techniques Greedy Algorithms Divide and Conquer Algorithms Dynamic Programming Complexity Classes Hacks on Bit-wise Programming Other Programming Questions

Data Structures and Algorithmic Thinking with Go

Author: Narasimha Karumanchi
Publisher: Careermonk Publications
ISBN: 9781949870909
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 522

Book Description
"Data Structure and Algorithmic Thinking with Go" is designed to give a jump-start to programmers, job hunters, and those who are appearing for exams. All the code in this book is written in GoLang. It contains many programming puzzles that not only encourage analytical thinking but also prepare readers for interviews.