40 Algorithms Every Programmer Should Know

Understanding greedy algorithms

Before we dive deep into this section, let's first define two terms:

• Algorithmic overheads: Whenever we try to find the optimal solution to a certain problem, it takes some time. As the problems that we are trying to optimize become more and more complex, the time it takes to find the optimal solution also increases. We represent algorithmic overheads with Ω_i.

• Delta from optimal: For a given optimization problem, there exists an optimal solution. Typically, we iteratively optimize the solution using our chosen algorithm. For a given problem, there always exists a perfect solution, called the optimal solution, to the current problem. As discussed, based on the classification of the problem we are trying to ...