Algorithmic Adventures

From the reviews: "A lucid exposition of fundamental ideas, concepts and methods of computer science, their essence and their limits, delightfully represented, and easily understandable for a broad readership. Scientific writing at its best." (Peter Widmayer, ETH Zurich) "This book originated from a series of lectures given by the author to describe what computer science is and what its principle Ideas are. Algorithms are the key concept of this book. ... The inclusion of problems makes the book more than a personal reflection. The style is lively and avoids unnecessary jargon. With a good teacher, it could be suitable as a textbook on the foundations of computer science in an undergraduate classroom." (Anthony J. Duben, ACM Computing Reviews, February, 2010) "This is a very readable book on theoretical computer science, written for nonspecialists. ... Practical applications are illustrated by examples from DNA computing and quantum mechanics. ... Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates and general readers." (M. Bona, Choice, Vol. 47 (5), January, 2010) "The author is an acclaimed computer scientist and he proves why: apart from being an aggressive researcher, he is also an excellent teacher. Using his ability to teach complex computing topics in an interesting way, he introduces to the reader the 'power and the magic' of the underlying principles. ... It will certainly draw interest from both undergraduate and post-graduate students of computing and allied fields. ... I do recommend this beautiful book for a scientific library ... ." (Soubhik Chakraborty, ACM Computing Reviews, August, 2010)

• A Short Story About the Development of Computer Science or Why Computer Science Is Not a Computer Driving Licence.- Algorithmics, or What Have Programming and Baking in Common?.- Infinity Is Not Equal to Infinity, or Why Infinity Is Infinitely Important in Computer Science.- Limits of Computability or Why Do There Exist Tasks That Cannot Be Solved Automatically by Computers.- Complexity Theory or What to Do When the Energy of the Universe Doesn’t Suffice for Performing a Computation?.- Randomness in Nature and as a Source of Efficiency in Algorithmics.- Cryptography, or How to Transform Drawbacks into Advantages.- Computing with DNA Molecules, or Biological Computer Technology on the Horizon.- Quantum Computers, or Computing in the Wonderland of Particles.- How to Make Good Decisions for an Unknown Future or How to Foil an Adversary.