Analysis of Algorithms

Algorithm analysis with a classroom-friendly, active-learning approach

Analysis of Algorithms by Jeffrey J. McConnell is a computer science textbook built around a practical goal: helping readers understand how to design algorithms and judge their efficiency with confidence. The second edition keeps the focus on time and space analysis, but it also emphasizes a teaching style that asks students to participate, practice, and think through the material actively.

That approach gives the book a distinctive rhythm. Instead of treating algorithm analysis as a purely abstract topic, it connects theory to worked examples, exercises, and programming tasks that support real classroom use. The result is a text that works well for students learning the subject for the first time and for instructors looking for a structured course companion.

What the second edition adds

This edition broadens the coverage to align more closely with ACM curricular recommendations. In addition to core algorithm analysis, it includes material on automata theory, regular languages, pushdown automata, context-free languages, parsing and compilation, Turing machines, the Church–Turing thesis, and the halting problem.

It also expands the treatment of other algorithmic techniques, including backtracking, branch and bound, Floyd’s algorithm, and dynamic programming approaches. Those additions make the book more than a basic efficiency primer; it also serves as a wider introduction to the theory and techniques that shape computer science curricula.

Built for study, teaching, and practice

• Clear chapter structure that supports independent reading
• Exercises ranging from tracing problems to proof-based work
• Programming exercises in selected chapters
• Study guidance that helps readers prepare and review effectively

For readers who want a serious textbook on algorithms that balances theory with active learning, McConnell’s Analysis of Algorithms offers a focused, course-ready presentation of the subject.