Algorithms and data structures /
by Niklaus Wirth
- London : Prentice/Hall International, Inc. , 1986.
- 288 pp. : ill. ; 22 cm.
Includes index.
"In recent years, the subject of computer programming has been recognized as a discipline whose mastery is fundamental and crucial to the success of many engineering projects and which is amenable to scientific treatment and presentation. It has advanced from a craft to an academic discipline. This book starts with a chapter on data structure for two reasons. First, one has an intuitive feeling that data precede algorithms: the reader must have some objects before he/she can perform operations on them. Second, and this is the most immediate reason, this book assumes that the reader is familiar with the basic notions of computer programming. Traditionally and sensibly, however, introductory programming courses concentrate on algorithms operating on relatively simple structures of data. Hence, an introductory chapter on data structures seems appropriate."