[HN Gopher] Introduction to Algorithms: A Creative Approach by U...
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       Introduction to Algorithms: A Creative Approach by Udi Manber [pdf]
        
       Author : ggr2342
       Score  : 119 points
       Date   : 2023-05-27 17:05 UTC (5 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (doc.lagout.org)
 (TXT) w3m dump (doc.lagout.org)
        
       | tims33 wrote:
       | I took CS 445 Algorithms at Arizona with Udi Manber as the
       | professor in the late 90s. Tough class. The .com boom was picking
       | up at that point and I think he went to Yahoo shortly after.
        
       | debanjan16 wrote:
       | Students learning Algorithms for the first time should never
       | touch CLRS. It is the worst thing that a beginner can pick up. It
       | is good as a reference text.
       | 
       | Beginners should start with this. This book "actually" teaches
       | you how algorithms are designed and how to break down problems
       | into chunks and solve them using induction/recursion.
       | 
       | Your mind will just be blown.
        
         | haskellandchill wrote:
         | And if not a beginner I would go straight to chapter 5 "Design
         | of Algorithms by Induction". One of my favorite algorithms
         | books.
        
         | fithisux wrote:
         | I also recommend Jeff Erickson's book.
        
         | rodneyzeng wrote:
         | I think the main key is the teacher. I followed the teacher in
         | the class and the course was using CLRS, and I did not feel
         | anything hard in homework and exams as long as I fully
         | understood what was taught during the class time.
        
         | theusus wrote:
         | CLRS barely touches the intuition part and that makes it worst
         | from a beginner's perspective.
        
         | commandlinefan wrote:
         | What infuriated me about CLRS was that so much of the content
         | was in the exercises - that had no answers you could check your
         | results against. There are solutions guides you can look up
         | now, but that they would publish such a hostile math book in
         | the first place rubbed me the wrong way.
        
         | thebigwinning wrote:
         | I wouldn't say that, it's just the audience is different. It's
         | basically a math theory text for getting into academic CS.
        
         | lambdaxymox wrote:
         | Maybe I'm different, but I used Kleinberg/Tardos and CLRS in my
         | undergraduate algorithms class, and I preferred CLRS to KT and
         | the other alternatives (Algorithm Design Manual, etc.), though
         | KT was great too. I've heard from others that KT was better for
         | them for learning how to actually design algorithms as well.
        
           | vector_spaces wrote:
           | I had a similar experience. It may be that I have a math
           | background and CLRS feels more like a math book than do other
           | algo texts, but it was a breath of fresh air for me after
           | looking at other popular texts that felt so much more
           | handwavy. It felt so much more concise and the math arguments
           | felt more compelling to me anyway. I mean, I am glad though
           | that different texts exist because different people seem to
           | benefit from different texts.
        
         | eBombzor wrote:
         | What about people who took a basic alg/ds class in the past but
         | forgot most of it many years later?
        
       | thebigwinning wrote:
       | This is a great book for teaching you how to invent algorithms. I
       | use the skills i learned from it all the time.
        
         | revskill wrote:
         | Can you show some example(s) on the techniques ?
        
           | thebigwinning wrote:
           | I would recommend the first 2-3 chapters to start.
        
           | tmoertel wrote:
           | The general idea is that you develop the algorithm and the
           | proof of correctness for the algorithm at the same time. The
           | two views are duals in a certain sense, and each gives you
           | insight about the other.
        
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       (page generated 2023-05-27 23:00 UTC)