Stanford CS161: Design and Analysis of Algorithms

Tim Roughgarden's celebrated course on algorithm design, known for its clarity and rigor.

About This Course

Stanford CS161 covers the design, analysis, and implementation of algorithms. The course teaches you to think algorithmically and develops techniques for solving computational problems efficiently.

Tim Roughgarden is known for his exceptionally clear teaching style and his ability to make complex algorithmic concepts accessible.

What You Will Learn

  • Divide and Conquer: Merge sort, counting inversions, matrix multiplication, closest pair
  • Master Method: Analyzing the running time of recursive algorithms
  • Randomized Algorithms: QuickSort analysis, randomized selection
  • Graph Algorithms: BFS, DFS, topological sort, strongly connected components
  • Shortest Paths: Dijkstra's algorithm, Bellman-Ford, Floyd-Warshall
  • Greedy Algorithms: Scheduling, Huffman coding, minimum spanning trees
  • Dynamic Programming: Knapsack, sequence alignment, optimal BSTs
  • NP-Completeness: Reductions, NP-hard problems, coping strategies

Prerequisites

Programming experience and basic discrete math (CS103 equivalent).

Course content belongs to Stanford University.

Up next

Princeton: Algorithms (Parts I & II)

Robert Sedgewick and Kevin Wayne's two-part course on Coursera. Covers stacks, queues, trees, graphs, string processing, and more. Companion to their textbook.