Algorithms For Dummies

ALGORITHMS HAVE NO ABSOLUTES

You may think that you can create a scenario in which you can say that you always use a 

particular kind of algorithm to solve a particular kind of problem. However, this isn’t the 

case. For example, you can find discussions of the relative merits of using brute-force 

techniques against certain problems as compared to divide and conquer. It shouldn’t 

surprise you to discover that divide and conquer doesn’t win in every situation. For 

example, when looking for the maximum value in an array, a brute-force approach can 

win the day when the array isn’t sorted. You can read a discussion of this particular topic 

at  

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11043226/why-do-divide-and- 

conquer-algorithms-often-run-faster-than-brute-force

. The interesting 

thing is that the brute-force approach also uses fewer resources in this particular case. 

Always remember that rules have exceptions and knowing the exceptions can save you 

time and effort later.

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CHAPTER 2