Introduction

Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis in C, by Mark Allen Weiss, 2nd

edition, 1997, Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-49840-5
Danang University of Science and Technology

Dang Thien Binh

[email protected]
 Class Overview
 Introduction to many of the basic data structures used in
computer software
 Understand the data structures
 Analyze the algorithms that use them
 Know when to apply them

 Practice using these data structures by writing programs

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 Goal
 You will understand
 what the tools are for storing and processing common data types
 which tools are appropriate for which need

 So that you will be able to

 make good design choices as a developer, project manager, or system
customer

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 Course Topics
 Introduction to Algorithm Analysis
 Lists, Stacks, Queues
 Search Algorithms and Trees
 Hashing and Heaps
 Sorting
 Disjoint Sets
 Graph Algorithms

Data Structures IT faculty 4/15

 Readings and References
 Reading
 Chapter 1, Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis in C, by Weiss

 Other References
 Sections 1-3, Pointers and Memory, by Parlante

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 Data Structures: What?
 Need to organize program data according to problem being
solved
 Abstract Data Type (ADT) - A data object and a set of
operations for manipulating it
 List ADT with operations insert and delete
 Stack ADT with operations push and pop
 Note similarity to Java classes
 Private data structure and public methods

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 Data Structures: Why?
 Program design depends crucially on how data is structured
for use by the program
 Implementation of some operations may become easier or harder
 Speed of program may dramatically decrease or increase
 Memory used may increase or decrease
 Debugging may be become easier or harder

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 Algorithms Analysis: What?
 What is an algorithm?
 A sequence of steps (a “program”) that accomplishes a task
 Many different algorithms may correctly solve a given task
 but will it be within this lifetime?
 will it require gigabytes of main memory?

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 Algorithms Analysis: Why?
 Understand the mathematical fundamentals needed to
analyze algorithms

 Learn how to compare the efficiency of different algorithms in

terms of running time and memory usage

 Study a number of standard algorithms for data manipulation

and learn to use them for solving new problems

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 A Simple Function
 Find the sum of the first num integers stored in an array v.

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 Programming via Recursion
 Write a recursive function to find the sum of the first num
integers stored in array v

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 Proof by Induction
 Basis Step: The algorithm is correct for a base case or two by
inspection.

 Inductive Hypothesis (n=k): Assume that the algorithm

works correctly for the first k cases, for any k.

 Inductive Step (n=k+1): Given the hypothesis above, show

that the k+1 case will be calculated correctly.

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 Program Correctness by Induction
 Basis Step: sum(v,0) = 0.

 Inductive Hypothesis (n=k): Assume sum(v,k) correctly

returns sum of first k elements of v, i.e. v[0]+v[1]+…+v[k-1].

 Inductive Step (n=k+1): sum(v,n) returns v[k]+sum(v,k)

which is the sum of first k+1 elements of v.

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 Algorithms vs Programs
 Proving correctness of an algorithm is very important
 a well-designed algorithm is guaranteed to work correctly, and its
performance can be estimated

 Proving correctness of a program (an implementation) is

fraught with weird bugs
 Abstract Data Types are a way to bridge the gap between mathematical
algorithms and programs

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 Readings and References
 Reading
 Chapter 1, Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis in C, by Weiss

 Other References
 Sections 1-3, Pointers and Memory, by Parlante

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