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A Common-Sense Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms, Second Edition, 2nd Edition
book

A Common-Sense Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms, Second Edition, 2nd Edition

by Jay Wengrow
August 2020
Intermediate to advanced
508 pages
11h 53m
English
Pragmatic Bookshelf
Content preview from A Common-Sense Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms, Second Edition, 2nd Edition

Chapter 2Why Algorithms Matter

In the previous chapter, we took a look at our first data structures and saw how choosing the right data structure can affect the performance of our code. Even two data structures that seem so similar, such as the array and the set, can have very different levels of efficiency.

In this chapter, we’re going to discover that even if we decide on a particular data structure, another major factor can affect the efficiency of our code: the proper selection of which algorithm to use.

Although the word algorithm sounds like something complex, it really isn’t. An algorithm is simply a set of instructions for completing a specific task.

Even a process as simple as preparing a bowl of cereal is technically an algorithm, ...

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9781680508048Errata Page