EAN: 9780201038064

THE ART OF COMPUTER PROGRAMMING VOLUME 4B - DON...

The Art of Computer Programming   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.     "Professor Donald E. Knuth has
always loved to solve problems. In Volume 4B he now promotes two brand new and practical
general problem solvers  namely (0) the Dancing Links Backtracking and (1) the SAT Solver. To
use them  a problem is defined declaratively (0) as a set of options  or (1) in Boolean
formulae. Today's laptop computers  heavily armoured with very high speed processors and ultra
large amounts of memory  are able to run either solver for problems having big input data. Each
section of Volume 4B contains a multitudinous number of tough exercises which help make
understanding surer. Happy reading!"   --Eiiti Wada  an elder computer scientist  UTokyo     
"Donald Knuth may very well be a great master of the analysis of algorithms  but more than that
he is an incredible and tireless storyteller who always strikes the perfect balance between
theory  practice  and fun. [   Volume 4B  Combinatorial Algorithms  Part 2  ] dives deep into
the fascinating exploration of search spaces (which is quite like looking for a needle in a
haystack or  even harder  to prove the absence of a needle in a haystack)  where actions
performed while moving forward must be meticulously undone when backtracking. It introduces us
to the beauty of dancing links for removing and restoring the cells of a matrix in a dance
which is both simple to implement and very efficient."   --Christine Solnon  Department of
Computer Science  INSA Lyon      Register your book for convenient access to downloads  updates
and or corrections as they become available.

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