Daniel Zingaro

Get in the game and learn essential computer algorithms by solving competitive programming problems, in the fully revised second edition of the bestselling original. (Still no math required!) Are you hitting a wall with data structures and algorithms? Whether you’re a student prepping for coding interviews or an independent learner, this book is your essential guide to efficient problem-solving in programming. UNLOCK THE POWER OF DATA STRUCTURES & ALGORITHMS: Learn the intricacies of hash tables, recursion, dynamic programming, trees, graphs, and heaps. Become proficient in choosing and implementing the best solutions for any coding challenge. REAL-WORLD, COMPETITION-PROVEN CODE EXAMPLES: The programs and challenges in this book aren’t just theoretical—they’re drawn from real programming competitions. Train with problems that have tested and honed the skills of coders around the world. GET INTERVIEW-READY: Prepare yourself for coding interviews with practice exercises that help you think algorithmically, weigh different solutions, and implement the best choices efficiently. WRITTEN IN C, USEFUL ACROSS LANGUAGES: The code examples are written in C and designed for clarity and accessibility to those familiar with languages like C++, Java, or Python. If you need help with the C code, no problem: We’ve got recommended reading, too. Algorithmic Thinking is the complete package, providing the solid foundation you need to elevate your coding skills to the next level.

Learn Algorithms to Level Up Your Coding Skills

Algorithmic Thinking, 2nd Edition

A hands-on, problem-based introduction to building algorithms and data structures to solve problems with a computer. Algorithmic Thinking will teach you how to solve challenging programming problems and design your own algorithms. Daniel Zingaro, a master teacher, draws his examples from world-class programming competitions like USACO and IOI. You'll learn how to classify problems, choose data structures, and identify appropriate algorithms. You'll also learn how your choice of data structure, whether a hash table, heap, or tree, can affect runtime and speed up your algorithms; and how to adopt powerful strategies like recursion, dynamic programming, and binary search to solve challenging problems. Line-by-line breakdowns of the code will teach you how to use algorithms and data structures like: • The breadth-first search algorithm to find the optimal way to play a board game or find the best way to translate a book • Dijkstra's algorithm to determine how many mice can exit a maze or the number of fastest routes between two locations • The union-find data structure to answer questions about connections in a social network or determine who are friends or enemies • The heap data structure to determine the amount of money given away in a promotion • The hash-table data structure to determine whether snowflakes are unique or identify compound words in a dictionary NOTE: Each problem in this book is available on a programming-judge website. You'll find the site's URL and problem ID in the description. What's better than a free correctness check?

A Problem-Based Introduction

Algorithmic Thinking

Learn to Code by Solving Problems is a practical introduction to programming using Python. It uses coding-competition challenges to teach you the mechanics of coding and how to think like a savvy programmer. Computers are capable of solving almost any problem when given the right instructions. That’s where programming comes in. This beginner’s book will have you writing Python programs right away. You’ll solve interesting problems drawn from real coding competitions and build your programming skills as you go. Every chapter presents problems from coding challenge websites, where online judges test your solutions and provide targeted feedback. As you practice using core Python features, functions, and techniques, you’ll develop a clear understanding of data structures, algorithms, and other programming basics. Bonus exercises invite you to explore new concepts on your own, and multiple-choice questions encourage you to think about how each piece of code works. You’ll learn how to: • Run Python code, work with strings, and use variables • Write programs that make decisions • Make code more efficient with while and for loops • Use Python sets, lists, and dictionaries to organize, sort, and search data • Design programs using functions and top-down design • Create complete-search algorithms and use Big O notation to design more efficient code By the end of the book, you’ll not only be proficient in Python, but you’ll also understand how to think through problems and tackle them with code. Programming languages come and go, but this book gives you the lasting foundation you need to start thinking like a programmer.

Daniel Zingaro

About

Books

Join the club