Fundamental algorithms

by Donald Ervin Knuth

Hardcover, 1973

Status

Available

Call number

005.1

Publication

Reading, Mass. : Addison-Wesley Pub. Co., 1973.

Description

&>The bible of all fundamental algorithms and the work that taught many of today's software developers most of what they know about computer programming. � Byte , September 1995 I can't begin to tell you how many pleasurable hours of study and recreation they have afforded me! I have pored over them in cars, restaurants, at work, at home... and even at a Little League game when my son wasn't in the line-up. �Charles Long If you think you're a really good programmer... read [Knuth's] Art of Computer Programming... You should definitely send me a resume if you can read the whole thing. �Bill Gates It's always a pleasure when a problem is hard enough that you have to get the Knuths off the shelf. I find that merely opening one has a very useful terrorizing effect on computers. �Jonathan Laventhol This first volume in the series begins with basic programming concepts and techniques, then focuses more particularly on information structures�the representation of information inside a computer, the structural relationships between data elements and how to deal with them efficiently. Elementary applications are given to simulation, numerical methods, symbolic computing, software and system design. Dozens of simple and important algorithms and techniques have been added to those of the previous edition. The section on mathematical preliminaries has been extensively revised to match present trends in research. Ebook (PDF version) produced by Mathematical Sciences Publishers (MSP), http://msp.org… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member JPB

If you program and you don't know this book, and its companion volumes 2 and 3, it's like saying you live in San Francisco and haven't seen the Golden Gate Bridge. The books are really much more valuable to someone with a knowledge of calculus, and some discrete mathematics. If you are looking for

programming cookbooks, don't go here, but if you want to know why binary trees, stacks and queues are used, and who thought of their use first, and their history of development, then read these books.

The above is, of course, a gross simplification. You will also learn how to properly analyze an algorithm - how to design algorithms to compute arithmetic results to achieve the minimum amount of error, how to design a proper random number generator - how to choose the right datastructure for search operations, etc.. More to the point, you will gain the skills to answer such questions on your own.

And most of all, you will see, once again, that the very brightest people are humble and have a sense of humor. The places where this book made me laugh out loud are too numerous to count.

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LibraryThing member Lyndatrue

There aren't enough stars to rate this. My only regret (and it's a minor one) is that I don't have my old copies, which I gave to a friend when I bought the new and updated ones. The old ones fell open at certain pages, and this volume (and its two companions are new), and will never see the use of

the others.

I see that there's a Volume 4A, but I'm not really sure that it makes sense for me to get it, at this stage in life.

Donald Knuth is one of my heroes.

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LibraryThing member appa

Difficult, instructive, intelligent, amusing and brain-numbing - all rolled-in-to-one in this classic of CS. Buy it, read a page at a sitting and savor it - this is a book read over 5 years.

LibraryThing member mykl-s

This was a very useful book when I was new to programming as a career, and needed deeper understanding of what was meant by a well-constructed program.

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