Using puzzles in teaching algorithms

This paper advocates a wider use of puzzles and puzzle-like problems in teaching design and analysis of algorithms. It discusses a variety of puzzles and classifies them according to the general algorithm design techniques. Pedagogic issues are explored.

[1]  Richard E. Neapolitan,et al.  Foundations of Algorithms , 1996 .

[2]  S. Lakshmivarahan,et al.  A New Approach for the Domination Problem on Permutation Graphs , 1991, Inf. Process. Lett..

[3]  A. K. Dewdney,et al.  New Turing Omnibus , 1993 .

[4]  Donald E. Knuth,et al.  The Art of Computer Programming, Volume I: Fundamental Algorithms, 2nd Edition , 1997 .

[5]  K. Arvind,et al.  Connected Domination and Steiner Set on Weighted Permutation Graphs , 1992, Inf. Process. Lett..

[6]  Stuart E. Dreyfus,et al.  Applied Dynamic Programming , 1965 .

[7]  B. A. Kordemskii The Moscow Puzzles: 359 Mathematical Recreations , 1976 .

[8]  Donald Ervin Knuth,et al.  The Art of Computer Programming , 1968 .

[9]  Jon Louis Bentley,et al.  Programming pearls (2nd ed.) , 1999 .

[10]  David S. L. Wei,et al.  Computer Algorithms , 1998, Scalable Comput. Pract. Exp..

[11]  Charles J. Colbourn,et al.  Permutation graphs: Connected domination and Steiner trees , 1991, Discret. Math..

[12]  Anany Levitin,et al.  Do we teach the right algorithm design techniques? , 1999, SIGCSE '99.

[13]  Peter Norvig,et al.  Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach , 1995 .

[14]  Ian Parberry,et al.  Problems on Algorithms , 1995, SIGA.

[15]  Dennis Shasha Codes, Puzzles, And Conspiracy , 1992 .

[16]  Maw-Shang Chang,et al.  Efficient Algorithms for the Maximum Weight Clique and Maximum Weight Independent Set Problems on Permutation Graphs , 1992, Inf. Process. Lett..

[17]  Jeremy P. Spinrad,et al.  On Comparability and Permutation Graphs , 1985, SIAM J. Comput..

[18]  A. Lempel,et al.  Transitive Orientation of Graphs and Identification of Permutation Graphs , 1971, Canadian Journal of Mathematics.

[19]  Anany Levitin,et al.  Introduction to the Design and Analysis of Algorithms , 2002 .

[20]  E. Reingold,et al.  Combinatorial Algorithms: Theory and Practice , 1977 .

[21]  Jon Louis Bentley,et al.  Programming pearls , 1987, CACM.

[22]  Gilles Brassard,et al.  Fundamentals of Algorithmics , 1995 .

[23]  Gregory J. E. Rawlins Compared to what? - an introduction to the analysis of algorithms , 1992, Principles of computer science series.

[24]  Ian Parberry A Real-Time Algorithm for the (n²-1)-Puzzle , 1995, Inf. Process. Lett..

[25]  Dieter Kratsch,et al.  On Domination Problems for Permutation and Other Graphs , 1987, Theor. Comput. Sci..

[26]  Y. Daniel Liang On the Feedback Vertex Set Problem in Permutation Graphs , 1994, Inf. Process. Lett..

[27]  A. K. K. Dewdney,et al.  Turing Omnibus: 61 Excursions in Computer Science , 1989 .

[28]  Andreas Brandstädt On Improved Time Bounds for Permutation Graph Problems , 1992, WG.

[29]  Martin Gardner My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles , 1994 .

[30]  Ian Parberry,et al.  An Efficient Algorithm for the Knight's Tour Problem , 1997, Discret. Appl. Math..

[31]  Martin Farber,et al.  Domination in Permutation Graphs , 1985, J. Algorithms.

[32]  Dennis E. Shasha Dr. Ecco's omniheurist corner: duelists , 2002 .