The CS Detective: An Algorithmic Tale of Crime, Conspiracy, and Computation [Paperback]

Meet Frank Runtime. Disgraced ex-detective. Hard-boiled private eye. Search expert.

When a robbery hits police headquarters, it’s up to Frank Runtime and his extensive search skills to catch the culprits. In this detective story, you’ll learn how to use algorithmic tools to solve the case. Runtime scours smugglers’ boats with binary search, tails spies with a search tree, escapes a prison with depth-first search, and picks locks with priority queues. Joined by know-it-all rookie Officer Notation and inept tag-along Socks, he follows a series of leads in a best-first search that unravels a deep conspiracy. Each chapter introduces a thrilling twist matched with a new algorithmic concept, ending with a technical recap.

Perfect for computer science students and amateur sleuths alike, The CS Detective adds an entertaining twist to learning algorithms.

Follow Frank’s mission and learn:
–The algorithms behind best-first and depth-first search, iterative deepening, parallelizing, binary search, and more
–Basic computational concepts like strings, arrays, stacks, and queues
–How to adapt search algorithms to unusual data structures
–The most efficient algorithms to use in a given situation, and when to apply common-sense heuristic methodsAcknowledgments
A Note to Readers
Chapter 1: Search Problems
Chapter 2: Exhaustive Search for an Informant
Chapter 3: Arrays and Indexes on a Criminal's Farm
Chapter 4: Strings and Hidden Messages
Chapter 5: Binary Search for a Smuggler's Ship
Chapter 6: Binary Search for Clues
Chapter 7: Adapting Algorithms for a Daring Escape
Chapter 8: Socks: An Interlude and an Introduction
Chapter 9: Backtracking to Keep the Search Going
Chapter 10: Picking Locks withl³¶