Algorithms in a Nutshell

Principle: Separate the Algorithm from the Problem Being Solved

It is hard to show the implementation for an algorithm "in the general sense" without also involving details of the specific solution. We are critical of books that show a full implementation of an algorithm yet allow the details of the specific problem to become so intertwined with the code for the generic problem that it is hard to identify the structure of the original algorithm. Even worse, many available implementations rely on sets of arrays for storing information in a way that is "simpler" to code but harder to understand. Too often, the reader will understand the concept from the supplementary text but be unable to implement it!

In our approach, we design each implementation to separate the generic algorithm from the specific problem. In Chapter 7, for example, when we describe the A*Search algorithm, we use an example such as the 8-puzzle (a sliding tile puzzle with tiles numbered 1–8 in a three-by-three grid). The implementation of A*Search depends only on a set of well-defined interfaces. The details of the specific 8-puzzle problem are encapsulated cleanly within classes that implement these interfaces.

We use numerous programming languages in this book and follow a strict design methodology to ensure that the code is readable and the solutions are efficient. Because of our software engineering background, it was second nature to design clear interfaces between the general algorithms and the domain-specific ...