About this course: The course covers basic algorithmic techniques and ideas for computational problems arising frequently in practical applications: sorting and searching, divide and conquer, greedy algorithms, dynamic programming. We will learn a lot of theory: how to sort data and how it helps for searching; how to break a large problem into pieces and solve them recursively; when it makes sense to proceed greedily; how dynamic programming is used in genomic studies. You will practice solving computational problems, designing new algorithms, and implementing solutions efficiently (so that they run in less than a second).
Who is this class for: Programmers with basic experience looking to understand the practical and conceptual underpinnings of algorithms, with the goal of becoming more effective software engineers. Computer science students and researchers as well as interdisciplinary students (studying electrical engineering, mathematics, bioinformatics, etc.) aiming to get more profound understanding of algorithms and hands-on experience implementing them and applying for real-world problems. Applicants who want to prepare for an interview in a high-tech company.
Created by: University of California, San Diego, Higher School of Economics
Taught by: Alexander S. Kulikov, Visiting Professor
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Taught by: Michael Levin, Lecturer
Computer Science
Taught by: Neil Rhodes, Adjunct Faculty
Computer Science and Engineering
Taught by: Pavel Pevzner, Professor
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Taught by: Daniel M Kane, Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science and Engineering / Department of Mathematics
| Basic Info |
Course 1 of 6 in the
Data Structures and Algorithms Specialization.
|
| Commitment | 5 weeks of study, 4-8 hours/week |
| Language | English, Subtitles: Spanish |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Welcome
Welcome to the first module of Data Structures and Algorithms! Here we will provide an overview of where algorithms and data structures are used (hint: everywhere) and walk you through a few sample programming challenges. The programming challenges represent a...
6 videos, 7 readings, 2 practice quizzes
Graded: A plus B
Graded: Maximum Pairwise Product
WEEK 2
Introduction
In this module you will learn that programs based on efficient algorithms can solve the same problem billions of times faster than programs based on naïve algorithms. You will learn how to estimate the running time and memory of an algorithm without even imple...
12 videos, 3 readings
Graded: Logarithms
Graded: Big-O
Graded: Growth rate
Graded: Programming Assignment 1: Introduction
WEEK 3
Greedy Algorithms
In this module you will learn about seemingly naïve yet powerful class of algorithms called greedy algorithms. After you will learn the key idea behind the greedy algorithms, you may feel that they represent the algorithmic Swiss army knife that can be applied...
10 videos, 1 reading
Graded: Greedy Algorithms
Graded: Fractional Knapsack
Graded: Programming Assignment 2: Greedy Algorithms
WEEK 4
Divide-and-Conquer
In this module you will learn about a powerful algorithmic technique called Divide and Conquer. Based on this technique, you will see how to search huge databases millions of times faster than using naïve linear search. You will even learn that the standard wa...
20 videos, 5 readings
Graded: Linear Search and Binary Search
Graded: Polynomial Multiplication
Graded: Master Theorem
Graded: Sorting
Graded: Quick Sort
Graded: Programming Assignment 3: Divide and Conquer
WEEK 5
Dynamic Programming
In this final module of the course you will learn about the powerful algorithmic technique for solving many optimization problems called Dynamic Programming. It turned out that dynamic programming can solve many problems that evade all attempts to solve them u...
12 videos, 3 readings
Graded: Change Money
Graded: Edit Distance
Graded: Knapsack
Graded: Maximum Value of an Arithmetic Expression
Graded: Programming Assignment 4: Dynamic Programming
FAQs
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Coursework
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Creators
University of California, San Diego
UC San Diego is an academic powerhouse and economic engine, recognized as one of the top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report. Innovation is central to who we are and what we do. Here, students learn that knowledge isn't just acquired in the classroom—life is their laboratory.
Higher School of Economics
National Research University - Higher School of Economics (HSE) is one of the top research universities in Russia. Established in 1992 to promote new research and teaching in economics and related disciplines, it now offers programs at all levels of university education across an extraordinary range of fields of study including business, sociology, cultural studies, philosophy, political science, international relations, law, Asian studies, media and communications, IT, mathematics, engineering, and more.
Learn more on www.hse.ru
Pricing
| Audit | Purchase Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Not available | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Not available | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Not available | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
Really nice content
So far the best course I have seen that actually teaches algorithms.This course not only explains you the algorithm but will also make you solve programming challenges based on the algorithms which requires you to look at the algorithm from a different perspective and then solve the challenge.This is what I loved the best about this course.I believe I am much better now in implementing algorithms and solving programming challenges.
This course helped me clear my algorithm concepts. The assignmenst at the end of each week, are very good. Concepts in the course were introduced briliantly with a comparison of different alogrithms and how each of them can solve a particular problem.
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JW
Really good comprehensive overview of fundamental algorithmic techniques. The programming assignments are challenging at times, but the forums are super helpful for discussions.