James Ross & Simon Harris 
Beginning Algorithms 

Beginning Algorithms

A good understanding of algorithms, and the knowledge of when to
apply them, is crucial to producing software that not only works
correctly, but also performs efficiently. This is the only book to
impart all this essential information-from the basics of
algorithms, data structures, and performance characteristics to the
specific algorithms used in development and programming tasks.

Packed with detailed explanations and instructive examples, the
book begins by offering you some fundamental data structures and
then goes on to explain various sorting algorithms. You’ll then
learn efficient practices for storing and searching by way of
hashing, trees, sets, and maps. The authors also share tips on
optimization techniques and ways to avoid common performance
pitfalls. In the end, you’ll be prepared to build the algorithms
and data structures most commonly encountered in day-to-day
software development.

What you will learn from this book

* The basics of algorithms, such as iteration and recursion

* Elementary data structures such as lists, stacks, and
queues

* Basic and advanced sorting algorithms including insertion sort,
quicksort, and shell sort

* Advanced data structures such as binary trees, ternary trees,
and heaps

* Algorithms for string searching, string matching, hashing, and
computational geometry

* How to use test-driven development techniques to ensure your
code works as intended

* How to dramatically improve the performance of your code with
hands-on techniques for profiling and optimization

Who this book is for

This book is for anyone who develops applications, or is just
beginning to do so, and is looking to understand algorithms and
data structures. An understanding of computer programming is
beneficial.

Wrox Beginning guides are crafted to make learning programming
languages and technologies easier than you think, providing a
structured, tutorial format that will guide you through all the
techniques involved.

Table of Content

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

Chapter 1: Getting Started.

Chapter 2: Iteration and Recursion.

Chapter 3: Lists.

Chapter 4: Queues.

Chapter 5: Stacks.

Chapter 6: Basic Sorting.

Chapter 7: Advanced Sorting.

Chapter 8: Priority Queues.

Chapter 9: Binary Searching and Insertion.

Chapter 10: Binary Search Trees.

Chapter 11: Hashing.

Chapter 12: Sets.

Chapter 13: Maps.

Chapter 14: Ternary Search Trees.

Chapter 15: B-Trees.

Chapter 16: String Searching.

Chapter 17: String Matching.

Chapter 18: Computational Geometry.

Chapter 19: Pragmatic Optimization.

Appendix A: Further Reading.

Appendix B: Resources.

Appendix C: Bibliography.

Appendix D: Answers to Exercises.

Index.

About the author

Simon Harris started writing animated sprites on a Commodore
64 in primary school. After a break of many years, he taught
himself 80×86 and IBM System/370 assembler and started working
professionally. Since then he has moved from assembler to C, C++,
and, of course, Java. He believes a fundamental understanding and
appreciation of algorithms is essential to developing good
software; and since starting his own company, Red Hill Consulting,
he has managed to make a living discussing and demonstrating
software development practices and techniques to anyone who will
listen.

In his more than 15 years of development experience, James
Ross has ranged from building packaged products to large
enterprise systems to research into compilers and languages. In
recent years, he has become a code quality fanatic and agile
methods specialist, particularly with test-driven development. He
works as a consultant for Thought Works, the world’s leading
agile software development company. He is currently leading the
development of a large J2EE project in the insurance industry in
Melbourne, Australia. He lives with his wife and family in
Melbourne.