DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS

PREPARED BY: Sakshi Mehta

University Institute of Engineering (UIE)

Design and Analysis of Alogorithms (CST-302)

Lecture 1
Introduction to Algorithms

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 ALGORITHMS: AN INTRODUCTION
An algorithm is a well defined computational procedure that
transforms inputs into outputs, achieving the desired input-output
relationship.

Algorithm has five important features:

Finiteness: Each instruction should be such that it can be performed
in a finite time.
Definiteness: Each step should be clear and unambiguous.
Effectiveness: Each instruction must be very basic so that it can be
carried out by a person using paper and pencil.
Input: Zero or more quantities are supplied.
Output: At least one quantity is produced.

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 Algorithms
A tool for solving a well-specified computational
problem

Input Algorithm Output

An algorithm is said to be correct if, for every input
instance, it halts with the correct output
An incorrect algorithm might:
not halt at all on some input, or
halt with an answer other than the desired one
Algorithms must be:
Correct: For each input produce an appropriate output
Efficient: run as quickly as possible, and use as little
memory as possible

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 FLOW CHART

A flowchart consists of a sequence of instructions linked

together by arrows to show the order in which the
instructions must be carried out. Each instruction is put into
a box. The boxes are of different shapes depending upon
what the instruction is.

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 PSEUDOCODE

Pseudocode is a compact and informal high-level

description of a computer programming algorithm that
uses the structural conventions of programming
languages, but omits detailed subroutines, variable
declarations or language-specific syntax.
Pseudo code resembles, but should not be confused with,
skeletons programs including dummy code, which can be
compiled without errors. Flowcharts can be thought of as
a graphical form of pseudo code.

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 PROPERTIES OF AN ALGORITHM

Independent of any Programming Language.

Each step must be clear and well understood.
Executes finite steps.
Terminates in finite time period.
Simple Algorithm cannot be considered as the most efficient
and most accurate.
Instructions in algorithm include: Arithmetic, Logical and
Control Transfer.

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 Problems and Algorithms

We need to solve a computational problem

Convert a weight in pounds to Kg

An algorithm specifies how to solve it, e.g.:

1. Read weight-in-pounds
2. Calculate weight-in-Kg = weight-in-pounds * 0.455
3. Print weight-in-Kg

A computer program is a computer-executable

description of an algorithm

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 PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS

Analysis
Problem
specification
Design

Algorithm

Implementation

Program

Compilation
Executable
(solution)

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 From Algorithms to Programs
Problem
Algorithm: A sequence of
instructions describing how to do a task (or
process)

C Program
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 Computational problems

A computational problem specifies an input-output

relationship
What does the input look like?
What should the output be for each input?
Example:
Input: an integer number n
Output: Is the number prime?
Example:
Input: A list of names of people
Output: The same list sorted alphabetically
Example:
Input: A picture in digital format
Output: An English description of what the picture shows

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 CLASSIFICATION OF ALGORITHMS

Serial
Parallel
Recursive
Logical
Deterministic/Non-Deterministic
Exact/Appropriate

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 ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS

Is to check the efficiency of the algorithm

Is it Correct?
How much time it takes on input of n numbers?
Can we improve it?
Types
Benchmarking
Asymptotic Notation

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 How do we check the efficiency of an Algorithm on a
Machine?

Insertion Merge
Sort Takes C1 n2 time to sort
n elements.
Sort Takes C2 n lg n time to
sort n elements.
Faster than Merge Sort Faster than Insertion
for small input size. Sort for large input size.

Note: Insertion Sort usually has a smaller constant factor than Merge Sort. C1< C2
Problem is to sort an array of 1 million numbers (106)

Computer A : 100 times faster than Computer B

Computer B
Runs Insertion Sort
It can execute 1 billion instructions
per second(109)Let C1=2
2.(106)2 instructions / 109
instructions per second = 2000secs
Runs Merge Sort
It can execute 10million
instructions per second(107)
Let C2=50
50.106 lg 106 instructions / 107
instructions per second = 100secs

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 TIME AND SPACE COMPLEXITY

The time complexity of a program (for a given input) is the

number of elementary instructions that this program
executes. This number is computed with respect to the size n
of the input data

The space complexity of a program (for a given input) is the

number of elementary objects that this program needs to
store during its execution. This number depends on n.

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 COMPLEXITY CONTD

Growth of Time/Space for a given problem depends on

Machine which executes the program
Compiler used to construct the program
Speed of CPU, bus , Peripherals
Language used and coding efficiency
Quality of Input.

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 INPUT SIZE

Time and space complexity

This is generally a function of the input size

E.g., sorting, multiplication

How we characterize input size depends:

Sorting: number of input items
Multiplication: total number of bits
Graph algorithms: number of nodes & edges

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 FAQ

How can algorithms be related to pseudo codes?

Give the notations required to denote complexity of an
algorithm.

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 References

1. Introduction to Algorithms by Coreman,

Leiserson,Rivest, Stein.
2. Fundamentals of Algorithms by Ellis Horwitz,
Sartaj Sahni, Sanguthevar Rajasekaran
3. Different websites providing study material.

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