Advanced Algorithms and Data Structures

Book excerpt: Advanced Algorithms and Data Structures introduces a collection of algorithms for complex programming challenges in data analysis, machine learning, and graph computing. Summary As a software engineer, you’ll encounter countless programming challenges that initially seem confusing, difficult, or even impossible. Don’t despair! Many of these “new” problems already have well-established solutions. Advanced Algorithms and Data Structures teaches you powerful approaches to a wide range of tricky coding challenges that you can adapt and apply to your own applications. Providing a balanced blend of classic, advanced, and new algorithms, this practical guide upgrades your programming toolbox with new perspectives and hands-on techniques. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the technology Can you improve the speed and efficiency of your applications without investing in new hardware? Well, yes, you can: Innovations in algorithms and data structures have led to huge advances in application performance. Pick up this book to discover a collection of advanced algorithms that will make you a more effective developer. About the book Advanced Algorithms and Data Structures introduces a collection of algorithms for complex programming challenges in data analysis, machine learning, and graph computing. You’ll discover cutting-edge approaches to a variety of tricky scenarios. You’ll even learn to design your own data structures for projects that require a custom solution. What's inside Build on basic data structures you already know Profile your algorithms to speed up application Store and query strings efficiently Distribute clustering algorithms with MapReduce Solve logistics problems using graphs and optimization algorithms About the reader For intermediate programmers. About the author Marcello La Rocca is a research scientist and a full-stack engineer. His focus is on optimization algorithms, genetic algorithms, machine learning, and quantum computing. Table of Contents 1 Introducing data structures PART 1 IMPROVING OVER BASIC DATA STRUCTURES 2 Improving priority queues: d-way heaps 3 Treaps: Using randomization to balance binary search trees 4 Bloom filters: Reducing the memory for tracking content 5 Disjoint sets: Sub-linear time processing 6 Trie, radix trie: Efficient string search 7 Use case: LRU cache PART 2 MULTIDEMENSIONAL QUERIES 8 Nearest neighbors search 9 K-d trees: Multidimensional data indexing 10 Similarity Search Trees: Approximate nearest neighbors search for image retrieval 11 Applications of nearest neighbor search 12 Clustering 13 Parallel clustering: MapReduce and canopy clustering PART 3 PLANAR GRAPHS AND MINIMUM CROSSING NUMBER 14 An introduction to graphs: Finding paths of minimum distance 15 Graph embeddings and planarity: Drawing graphs with minimal edge intersections 16 Gradient descent: Optimization problems (not just) on graphs 17 Simulated annealing: Optimization beyond local minima 18 Genetic algorithms: Biologically inspired, fast-converging optimization