Mastering Algorithms with Python: A Practical Approach to Problem Solving and Python Implementation

Mastering Algorithms with Python....2

Introduction....5

How This Book Is Organized....6

Source Code Listings....6

Acknowledgments....9

Table of Contents....10

About the Author....13

About the Technical Reviewer....14

1. Recursion....15

Basics of Recursion....15

Simple Recursion Examples....17

Number of Paths in a Grid....18

H-Tree....20

Tower of Hanoi....23

Application....27

Summary....31

2. Divide and Conquer....33

Guess a Number....33

Merge Sort....35

Quick Sort....42

Multiplication of Two Positive Integers....46

Fast Fourier Transform....52

Application....62

Summary....67

3. Greedy Algorithm....69

Coin Change....70

Class Scheduling....72

Jumping Frog....74

Build TV Towers....78

Minimum Spanning Tree: Kruskals Algorithm....81

Minimum Spanning Tree: Prims Algorithm....95

Application....101

Summary....107

4. Dynamic Programming....108

Fibonacci Number....108

The Generic Way of Designing a Dynamic Programming Solution....112

Longest Common Subsequence and Substring....116

Knapsack....121

Application....127

Summary....136

5. RSA Cryptosystem....137

Caesar Cipher....137

RSA Initial Encounter....138

Greatest Common Divisor....139

Find Prime Numbers....140

An Improved Version of RSA....142

Application....147

Summary....148

6. Monte Carlo....149

Generate a Random Number....149

Test Uniformity and Independence of Random Numbers....151

Examples of Simple Monte Carlo Simulations....156

Monte Carlo Integration....160

How Likely Will It Rain Tomorrow?....165

Metropolis–Hastings....169

Application....173

Summary....177

7. A Tale of Ten Cities....178

A Traveling Consultant: Part 1....179

A Traveling Consultant: Part 2....189

A Traveling Consultant: Part 3....196

Build a Warehouse....204

Group the Cities....209

Application....215

Summary....220

8. Chess....222

Binary Tree and Its Traversals....223

N-ary Tree and Its Traversals....226

Knights Tour....230

Minimum Jumps for a Knight....238

Eight Queens....240

Monte Carlo Tree Search....247

Application....258

Binary Trees and N-ary Trees....258

DFS, BFS, and Backtracking....259

Monte Carlo Tree Search....263

Summary....265

Appendix A: A Quick Review of Python....267

Basic Types and Data Types....267

Boolean Logic and Flow Control....268

Functions....271

Generators....273

Classes....275

Decorators....279

Miscellaneous....282

Appendix B: Environment Setup and Package Installation....284

Appendix C: References....286

Index....287

Gain a solid understanding of algorithms and improve your problem-solving abilities using Python code. With practical examples and clear explanations, this book bridges the gap between dense academic texts and overly simple industry guides.

Focusing on the logic behind essential algorithms such as Breadth First Search (BFS), Depth First Search (DFS), Divide-and-Conquer, Greedy Methods, and Dynamic Programming, the book provides ample examples, from easy to more advanced. By connecting these concepts to real-world examples, such as chess strategies and the Seam Carving, the book helps readers better grasp and apply algorithms. Each chapter also includes fully implemented Python code, making it a practical reference.

Mastering Algorithms with Python is ideal for IT professionals looking to enhance their skills and approach algorithms with clarity and confidence.

What You Will Learn

• Understand foundational algorithms such as BFS, DFS, Divide-and-Conquer, Greedy Methods, Dynamic Programming through practical examples
• Implement algorithms in Python with step-by-step guidance and fully functional code for future reference
• Build a solid foundation in advanced concepts such as Minimum Spanning Trees, Fast Fourier Transform, and Monte Carlo Tree Search
• Quickly review Python essentials, including data types, flow control, generators, decorators, and classes to enhance your algorithmic understanding

Who This Book Is For

Software developers, data scientists, machine learning professionals and any curious learners about computer algorithms.