The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 4B

Combinatorial Algorithms
1. Auflage 2021
ISBN: 978-0-201-03806-4
Verlag: Addison Wesley

Buch, Englisch, 714 Seiten, Format (B × H): 173 mm x 236 mm, Gewicht: 1750 g

is Knuth's multivolume analysis of algorithms. With the addition of this new volume, it continues to be the definitive description of classical computer science.

Volume 4B, the sequel to Volume 4A, extends Knuth's exploration of combinatorial algorithms. These algorithms are of keen interest to software designers because ". . . a single good idea can save years or even centuries of computer time."

The book begins with coverage of Backtrack Programming, together with a set of data structures whose links perform "delightful dances" and are ideally suited to this domain. New techniques for important applications such as optimum partitioning and layout are thereby developed.

Knuth's writing is playful, and he includes dozens of puzzles to illustrate the algorithms and techniques, ranging from popular classics like edge-matching to more recent crazes like sudoku. Recreational mathematicians and computer scientists will not be disappointed!

In the second half of the book, Knuth addresses Satisfiability, one of the most fundamental problems in all of computer science. Innovative techniques developed at the beginning of the twenty-first century have led to game-changing applications, for such things as optimum scheduling, circuit design, and hardware verification. Thanks to these tools, computers are able to solve practical problems involving millions of variables that only a few years ago were regarded as hopeless.

The Mathematical Preliminaries Redux section of the book is a special treat, which presents basic techniques of probability theory that have become prominent since the original "preliminaries" were discussed in Volume 1.

As in every volume of this remarkable series, the book includes hundreds of exercises that employ Knuth's ingenious rating system, making it easy for readers of varying degrees of mathematical training to find challenges suitable to them. Detailed answers are provided to facilitate self-study.

--Eiiti Wada, an elder computer scientist, UTokyo

Volume 4B, Combinatorial Algorithms, Part 2 --Christine Solnon, Department of Computer Science, INSA Lyon

Autoren/Hrsg.

Knuth, Donald E.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Mathematical Preliminaries Redux 1

Chapter 7: Combinatorial Searching
7.2.2 Backtrack Programming 30
7.2.2.1 Dancing links 65
7.2.2.2 Satisfiability 185

Answers to Exercises 370

Appendix A: Tables of Numerical Quantities 656
Appendix B: Index to Notations 660
Appendix C: Index to Algorithms and Theorems 666
Appendix D: Index to Combinatorial Problems 667
Appendix E: Answers to Puzzles in the Answers 671

Über Autor(innen)

Donald E. Knuth is known throughout the world for his pioneering work on algorithms and programming techniques, for his invention of the TEX and METAFONT systems for computer typesetting, and for his prolific and influential writing (26 books, 161 papers). Professor Emeritus of The Art of Computer Programming at Stanford University, he currently devotes full time to the completion of his seminal multivolume series on classical computer science, begun in 1962 when he was a graduate student at California Institute of Technology. Professor Knuth is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including the ACM Turing Award, the Medal of Science presented by President Carter, the AMS Steele Prize for expository writing, and, in November, 1996, the prestigious Kyoto Prize for advanced technology. He lives on the Stanford campus with his wife, Jill.