Why should I learn algorithms?

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Thomas Cormen

Algorithms are clearly specified means to solve problems.

You want to know two things about an algorithm:

1. Does it solve the problem?
2. Does it use resources efficiently?

If you write code that does not solve the problem, or if it solves the problem but uses resources inefficiently (for example, it takes too long or uses too much memory), then your code doesn't really help.

That's why we study algorithms. We want to know that our code is based on ideas that solve the problem and that we're using resources efficiently. And we want to know that our solution is correct and efficient for all possible situations, or at least to know that the cases in which our algorithm fails to meet these criteria are rare.

Even if you intend to just call functions in APIs and not design algorithms yourself, you should know about the algorithms and data structures used in implementing these APIs. No data structure is the best choice for every situation, and so you need to know the strengths and weaknesses of each.

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