First Course in Algorithms Through Puzzles

by Ryuhei Uehara

Overview

This textbook introduces basic algorithms and explains their analytical methods. All algorithms and methods introduced in this book are well known and frequently used in real programs. Intended to be self-contained, the contents start with the basic models, and no prerequisite knowledge is required. This book is appropriate for undergraduate students in computer science, mathematics, and engineering as a textbook, and is also appropriate for self-study by beginners who are interested in the fascinating field of algorithms.

More than 40 exercises are distributed throughout the text, and their difficulty levels are indicated. Solutions and comments for all the exercises are provided in the last chapter. These detailed solutions will enable readers to follow the author’s steps to solve problems and to gain a better understanding of the contents.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789819680962
Publisher:	Springer Nature Singapore
Publication date:	12/24/2025
Edition description:	Second Edition 2026
Pages:	188
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Ryuhei Uehara is a professor in the School of Information Science at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. He was a researcher at CANON Inc. Later, he joined Tokyo Woman's Christian University as an assistant professor and was later also a lecturer and associate professor at Komazawa University. He had been a visiting scholar at the University of Waterloo (Canada), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA), Simon Fraser University (Canada), the Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), ETH Zürich (Switzerland), and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain). His research interests include computational complexity, algorithms and data structures, and graph algorithms. He is especially engrossed in computational origami, games, and puzzles from the viewpoints of theoretical computer science. He is one of two translators of the New Martin Gardner Mathematical Library into Japanese.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Preliminaries.- Chapter 2. Recursive call.- Chapter 3. Algorithms for Searching and Sorting.- Chapter 4. Searching on graphs.- Chapter 5. Backtracking.- Chapter 6. Randomized Algorithms.- Chapter 7. References.- Chapter 8. Answers to exercises.

Editorial Reviews

Uehara’s First course in algorithms through puzzles is an immensely gratifying book to read. It is a neat and short introduction to algorithms, which manages to combine fun with depth. … This reviewer is thinking of employing Uehara's book as recommended reading.” (Michael Soltys, Mathematical Reviews, May, 2020)

“This is a first course in computer-science algorithms, aimed at undergraduates. … The puzzle parts are the best part of the book. They are concrete, well-explained, and well-motivated, as well as being rigorous computer science.” (Allen Stenger, MAA Reviews, April 22, 2019)

From the Publisher