Data Structure

Introduction

U Kang
Seoul National University
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 In This Lecture
 Motivation to study data structure
 Administrative information for this course

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 Outline

Motivation
Course Information

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 Why do we use Computer?
Is a computer just a faster and bigger calculator?

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 Why do we use Computer?
 In addition to quickly computing numbers, we use
computers to access, manipulate and organize
data
 Store PPT file
 Sort 1 billion records to look for top-10 best records
 Online shopping mall
 Bank account
 Social Network Services (SNS)
 Web

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 What is Data Structure?
 Data structure
 Any data representation and its associated operations
 Organization or structuring for a collection of data
items
 E.g., an array containing a sorted list of exam scores

 Using proper data structure makes a program super fast

(e.g., few days => few seconds)

 We learn data structure to design efficient algorithms to

do tasks efficiently in terms of time and space

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What about using fast computers?
 Ill-designed algorithms may require super-linear
running time which grows much faster than the
CPU’s growth rate

 E.g., an algorithm may require O(n2) running time

 This means if the input size increases 10 times, the
running time increases 100 times.
 To achieve the same running time, you need 100 times
faster (expensive) computer to handle 10 times larger
input
 If you design an O(n) algorithm, then you need only 10
times faster computer to handle the same input!

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 Goals of this Course
1. Reinforce the concept that costs and benefits
exist for every data structure.
2. Learn the commonly used data structures.
 These form a programmer's basic data structure
“toolkit”.
3. Understand how to measure the cost of a data
structure or program.
 These techniques also allow you to judge the merits
of new data structures that you or others might invent.

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 Outline

Motivation
Course Information

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 Course Information
 URL:
http://datalab.snu.ac.kr/~ukang/courses/24S-DS
 Some materials and notices will be in eTL
 Office hour (instructor)
 Tue, 9:00-10:00 (also, by appointment)
 Room 301-502
 TAs
 Office Hour/Location : see the course homepage

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 Course Information
 Class meets:
 Lecture: Mon, Wed 9:30 – 10:45 (Room 302-105)

 By default, the lectures will be in offline

 Some lectures may be in online

 We will post notices in eTL if there are updates

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 Textbook

 Cliff A. Shaffer, A Practical Introduction to Data

Structures and Algorithm Analysis, Edition 3.2
(Java version), Mar/28/2013.
 (The e-book is freely available at
http://people.cs.vt.edu/~shaffer/Book/)

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 Prerequisites

 M1522.000600 (Computer Programming) or

consent of instructor

 Knowledge of the Java programming language

enough to be able to design, code, and debug
programs

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 Grading
 15% Attendance
 25% Homework
 30% Midterm
 30% Final

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 Homework
 Written assignment
 8 assignments
 May require 2~4 hours

 Programming assignment
 4 assignments
 May require 4~8 hours

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 Late Policy

 For all homeworks

 No delay penalties, for medical etc emergencies (bring
doctor's note)
 Each person has 4 'slip days' total, for the whole
semester. 10% per day of delay, after that

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 Course Ethics

 Do not copy the works of other people (e.g., homeworks,

exams, etc.)
 Then everyone involved in the plagiarism will get 0 score
 It is fine to discuss ideas about homework with your
colleagues, but the homework should be finished
independently
 Write down the names of your colleagues that you discussed
your homework with, if any
 Use office hours (of TAs and/or instructor) to ask about
homework
 Do not make fake attendances
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 Laptop

 Laptop is allowed only for note taking purposes.

However, it would be better to take notes with your
pen

 In a study, students with laptop

 do not focus on the course
 use 37% of their time for Web or SNS
 get low scores in exam

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 Schedule (Tentative)
Week Schedule
1 Chapter 1
2 Chapter 2
3 Chapter 3
4 Chapter 4
5 Chapter 4
6 Chapter 5
7 Chapter 6
8 Midterm Exam
9 Chapter 7
10 Chapter 7
11 Chapter 7
12 Chapter 9
13 Chapter 11
14 Chapter 11
15 Final
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 Advice

 This is an extremely important course in Computer

Science and Engineering
 The time devoted for this course will be fruitful
 If possible, read each chapter before class
 It is ok to encounter something you don’t understand. Just
mark it, and later you will understand it when you come
back.
 Active participation encouraged
 A creative person knows when and how to ask (right)
questions
 This class provides a good way of practicing asking
questions

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 Advice
 Summarizing main ideas
 You should be able to explain a concept in less than 1
minute
 What is the problem that the algorithm/data structure tries to
solve?
 What is the solution? What is the main idea?
 What is the advantage of the solution? What is the limitation?
 In plain terms so that people with no background can understand

 Use office hours (instructor and/or TA)

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Questions?

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