Book excerpt: Though your application serves its purpose, it might not be a high performer. Learn techniques to accurately predict code efficiency, easily dismiss inefficient solutions, and improve the performance of your application. Key Features Explains in detail different algorithms and data structures with sample problems and Java implementations where appropriate Includes interesting tips and tricks that enable you to efficiently use algorithms and data structures Covers over 20 topics using 15 practical activities and exercises Book Description Learning about data structures and algorithms gives you a better insight on how to solve common programming problems. Most of the problems faced everyday by programmers have been solved, tried, and tested. By knowing how these solutions work, you can ensure that you choose the right tool when you face these problems. This book teaches you tools that you can use to build efficient applications. It starts with an introduction to algorithms and big O notation, later explains bubble, merge, quicksort, and other popular programming patterns. You’ll also learn about data structures such as binary trees, hash tables, and graphs. The book progresses to advanced concepts, such as algorithm design paradigms and graph theory. By the end of the book, you will know how to correctly implement common algorithms and data structures within your applications. What you will learn Understand some of the fundamental concepts behind key algorithms Express space and time complexities using Big O notation. Correctly implement classic sorting algorithms such as merge and quicksort Correctly implement basic and complex data structures Learn about different algorithm design paradigms, such as greedy, divide and conquer, and dynamic programming Apply powerful string matching techniques and optimize your application logic Master graph representations and learn about different graph algorithms Who this book is for If you want to better understand common data structures and algorithms by following code examples in Java and improve your application efficiency, then this is the book for you. It helps to have basic knowledge of Java, mathematics and object-oriented programming techniques.