C++ Primer, Fifth Edition

10.2. A First Look at the Algorithms

The library provides more than 100 algorithms. Fortunately, like the containers, the algorithms have a consistent architecture. Understanding this architecture makes learning and using the algorithms easier than memorizing all 100+ of them. In this chapter, we’ll illustrate how to use the algorithms, and describe the unifying principles that characterize them. Appendix A lists all the algorithms classified by how they operate.

With only a few exceptions, the algorithms operate over a range of elements. We’ll refer to this range as the “input range.” The algorithms that take an input range always use their ...