Preface

Data structures and algorithms are more than abstract concepts. Mastering them enables you to write code that is efficient, leading to software that runs faster and consumes less memory. This is a big deal for today’s software applications, which exist on increasingly mobile platforms and handle increasingly greater amounts of data.

The problem with most resources on these subjects, though, is that they are...well...obtuse. Most texts go heavy on the math jargon, and if you’re not a mathematician, it can be difficult to grasp what on earth is going on. Even books that claim to make algorithms “easy” seem to assume that the reader has an advanced math degree. Because of this, too many people shy away from these concepts feeling that they’re not “smart” enough to understand them.

The truth, though, is that everything about data structures and algorithms boils down to common sense. Mathematical notation itself is simply a particular language, and everything in math can also be explained with common-sense terminology. In this book, I use that common-sense language (plus a lot of diagrams!) to explain these concepts in simple and, dare I say, enjoyable ways.

Once you understand these concepts, you’ll be equipped to write code that is efficient, fast, and elegant. You’ll be able to weigh the pros and cons of various code alternatives and be able to make educated decisions as to which code is best for the given situation.

In this book, I go out of my way to make these concepts real and practical with ideas that you can make use of today. Sure, you’ll learn some really cool computer science along the way. But this book is about taking that seemingly abstract stuff and making it directly practical. You’ll be writing better code and faster software by the time you’re done reading this book.