Practical Introduction to Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis: Java Edition

by Clifford A. Shaffer

Book Overview

The author, Cliff Shaffer provides a superior learning tool for those who desire more rigorous data structures and an algorithm analysis book utilizing Java. While the author covers most of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0136609112
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Prentice Hall
• Length: 488 Pages
• Weight: 2.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.0" x 7.3"

Customer Reviews

Good, solid introduction

I've been using this book for a course in Data Structures and Algorithms in an undergraduate computer science program, and I must say I'm impressed by how easy to read Mr. Shaffer has made the chapters. He talks about tough concepts in a rather intuitive way and then tries to lead us into more formalized definitions of those same concepts. The one thing that kept me from giving this book five stars is the lack of any answers in the back. He does a great job writing the chapters, but when it comes time for us students to do problems on our own, there's no reasonable way to check to make sure we're headed in the right direction. Definitely an oversight in a book with the words "practical introduction" in the title.

Data Structures

This is an excellent textbook. Yes, there are some mistakes in the code but most all textbooks in algorithms and data structures do. Conceptually, the material is very well handled.

Good data structures book with emphasis analysis

Dr. Shaffer presents the topic of data structures along with the tools to perform critical analysis of algorithms. This combination of design and analysis makes this book a useful tool for teaching a second year Data Structures course. He was writing this book while teaching my class at Virginia Tech, and I found that he incorporated student feedback effectively. At the time, any errors a student found and was the first to bring to his attention got you a brand new quarter. ;)The book gets fours stars due to the use of advanced C++ programming techniques that can be confusing to a casual or beginning C++ programmer. However, the interested student will learn a few tricks of the trade if the code examples are given a careful read. Overall, the book is a useful reference for accomplished C++ programmers or others attempting to learn the basics of algorithms analysis. Dr. Shaffer has also implemented data structure visualization software that was useful for understanding the behavior of different algorithms...

Above average but recommend others

I used this textbook to teach Data Structures and Algorithms at the sophomore-junior level to a class of 100 students. My primary focus is to teach the design and use of DS & A with a secondary focus on implementation in a specific language (Java in this case). From this point of view: Part I is excellent. Part II is above average. The discussion of trees is average with an implicitly narrow view of applications. Part III on sorting and searching is average with the exception of the horrible discussion of benchmarking in 8.8. The data are unqualified and misleading (compiled and interpreted run-times are compared as equals!). The discussion of hashing and B-Trees is poorly organized and narrow. Parts III and IV are oriented towards Java implementation. As such, there is no discussion of the limitations of actually using recursion in an implementation nor the efficient use of object-oriented structures in cache-based architectures. For a better discussion of DS & A, many of my less experienced students found relief in Robert Lafore's book (ISBN 1571690956) and the more advanced students consulted Weiss's text (ISBN 0201357542). For the following term I will try Cormen, Leiserson, and Rivest's classic Introduction to Algorithms (ISBN 0070131430) which uses pseudo-code and Lafore's book as a required supplement.

Excellent Book

Fantastic book. Easier to dissect than the "bible" by Corman, Rivest, and Leiserson, but still thorough and well-written. The pseudocode is written in C++, which makes it indispensible to both students of the language and C++ professionals. Never leaves my side.