Dependencies Between Chapters

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The diagram below shows major dependencies between chapters in Algorithms and Data Structures: The Science of Computing. An arrow from chapter A to chapter B means that some important material in chapter B will probably be incomprehensible without understanding some material from chapter A. The diagram does not show minor dependencies (e.g., a reference in one chapter to a previous one that aids understanding but isn’t essential to it). Even in the absence of explicit dependencies between chapters, however, the book generally assumes greater algorithmic sophistication in later chapters than in earlier ones, and so is likely to be most accessible if read in chapter order.

Note the following specific comments about the diagram:

• While only one chapter is shown explicitly depending on chapter 4, experimental techniques and attitudes discussed in chapter 4 are used heavily in both text and laboratory exercises associated with many subsequent chapters. The diagram may thus mislead concerning the importance of chapter 4 to the rest of the book.
• Chapters 10, 14, 16, and 17 can be thought of as “capstone” chapters, in that they summarize and integrate material from previous chapters, but do not lay substantial foundations for later material in the book. Beware, however, that these chapters may contain material important to later courses — for example, chapter 10 contains most of this book’s coverage of sorting, and chapter 14 presents several important data structures (hash tables and priority queues).
• While chapters 16 and 17 do not depend on previous chapters in the sense of being incomprehensible without them, chapters 16 and 17 definitely follow the “greater algorithmic sophistication in later chapters” rule — a student could in principle acquire enough algorithmic and mathematical maturity to understand these chapters without studying any of the previous ones, but considerable maturity is nonetheless necessary. If that maturity is to be acquired from Algorithms and Data Structures: The Science of Computing, then chapters 16 and 17 should be covered after most or all previous ones.

Copyright © 2004 Charles River Media. All rights reserved.

Revised Aug. 9, 2005 by Doug Baldwin

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