If we try to identify those contributions of computer science which will be long lasting, surely one of these will be the refinement of the concept called
algorithm. Ever since man invented the idea of a machine which could
perform basic mathematical operations, the study of what can be computed
and how it can be done well was launched. This study, inspired by the
computer, has led to the discovery of many important and clever algorithms.
The discipline called computer science has embraced the study of
algorithms as its own. It is the purpose of this book to organize what is known
about them in a coherent fashion so that students and practitioners can
learn to devise and analyze new algorithms for themselves.