Algorithmic Problem Solving
August 21st, 2007 | by Ozgur Cem Sen |Book Excerpts:
In historical terms, the digital computer is very, very new. The science of computing is yet newer. Compared to its older sister - mathematics - which is thousands of years old, it is hardly in the embryonic stage of development. Yet, computing science is already having a major influence on our problem-solving skills, amounting to a revolution in the art of effective reasoning.
Because of the challenges of programming (which means instructing a dumb machine how to solve each instance of a problem) and the unprecedented scale of programming problems, computing scientists have had to hone their problem-solving skills to a very fine degree. This has led to advances in logic, and to changes in the way that mathematics is practised. This book forms an introduction to problem-solving using the insights that have been gained in computing science.
