I've seen Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen but I find it difficult to read after reading a lot of Head First books. Is there no book that explains Algorithms in a play way manner?
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299answers:
7
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I found Dasgupta et al.'s Algorithms (978-0073523408) to be good when I read it for class.
Matthew Flaschen
2010-02-25 02:11:44
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Apart from Introduction to Algorithms by C.L.R.S , The Algorithm Design Manual by Steven S.Skiena is also very good.
Prasoon Saurav
2010-02-25 02:12:55
These were the two books that helped me the most.
fatcat1111
2010-02-25 02:17:28
Algorithm Design Manual is very old, i cant say it s outdated. I agree on CLRS.
2010-02-25 02:19:26
@user117883, the 2nd edition was published in 2008. It isn't outdated at all.
Simucal
2010-02-25 08:55:29
@Simucal: Published two years ago? That's, like, an aeon in Internet time! ;-)
Donal Fellows
2010-04-10 19:48:41
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I'm sorry, I don't have a recommendation from what I've seen, but just to comment:
IMHO, algorithms are much harder to present in a "play way manner" than say OOP or design patterns. I think that's why it's harder to find "Head First type" books. Algorithms deal with mathematical concepts and such, which by nature is much harder to simplify.
jaywon
2010-02-25 02:14:28
@mitch, thanks I'll have to check that out. I am not familiar with that text.
jaywon
2010-02-25 02:17:56
I agree with jaywon. The first several chapters of Cormen cover some pretty serious math that the student should have already learned something about first. Probability, complexity, sets, graph theory, and data structures - if you dozed off during these subjects, it's hard going in the rest of the text.
Grembo
2010-02-25 19:34:10
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I doubt it's as playful as the "Head First" series, but I find Sedgewick's Algorithms books to be quite readable.
Michael Burr
2010-02-25 02:15:24
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I highly recommend How to Think about Algorithms for its ease in readability as well as its unorthodox approach to really get the wheels in your head turning.
JoshJordan
2010-02-25 02:17:48
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There are lots of online resources very easy to read. Such as wikipedia.
You can also try algorithm design By Kelinberg.
Easier to read than CLRS. But CLRS is the bible for algorithms.
If you want some questions : http://www.eng.unt.edu/ian/books/free/poa.pdf
This is free.
A:
Send in the "The Wolf" (Mastering Algorithms with Perl). I'm not sure if the Perl factor is a plus or minus for you, but it covers a broad range, and I found it to be an enjoyable read.
datageist
2010-02-25 08:49:05