Algorithms in a Nutshell: A Practical Guide. 2nd Ed

We intend this book to be your primary reference when seeking practical information on how to implement or use an algorithm. We cover a range of existing algo‐ rithms for solving a large number of problems and adhere to the following principles:

•  When describing each algorithm, we use a stylized template to properly frame each discussion and explain the essential points of each algorithm.
•  We use a variety of languages to implement each algorithm (including C, C++, Java, and Python). In doing so, we make concrete the discussion of algorithms and speak using languages you are already familiar with.
•  We describe the expected performance of each algorithm and empirically pro‐ vide evidence to support these claims.

 We intend this book to be most useful to software practitioners, programmers, and designers. To meet your objectives, you need access to a quality resource that explains real solutions to practical algorithms you need to solve real problems. You already know how to program in a variety of programming languages. You know about the essential computer science data structures, such as arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, hash tables, binary trees, and undirected and directed graphs. You don’t need to implement these data structures, since they are typically provided by code libraries.

 We expect you will use this book to learn about tried and tested solutions to solve problems efficiently. You will learn some advanced data structures and novel ways to apply standard data structures to improve the efficiency of algorithms. Your problem-solving abilities will improve when you see the key decision for each algo‐ rithm that make for efficient solutions.