CISC 2200/5220: Mission Statement

When you took CS1 and CS2, you were exposed to the C++ programming language. You learned how to build small programs using sequencing, selection, and iteration, as well as how to build somewhat larger functions using functions. You were taught some object-oriented technology, learning how to using prebuilt objects (such as those found in the Standard Template Library), as well as how to build your own.

In Data Structures, we will continue upon this foundation. We will use walls and mirrors to build software.

• We often find that a "divide-and-conquer: technique is useful for deriving algorithms. This leads us to consider recursion (the "mirrors" mentioned above).
• A large program may best be built as a set of modules that are separated from each other (via "walls"). A module may be a (set of) function(s), or a (set of) object(s). These modules are tightly coupled, with only explict well-defined channels of communication between the modules. In particular, we will look at problems whose solution is simplified by the use of standard data structures (such as stacks, queues, lists, and trees); we will then consider the modular design and implementation of such structures.

In other words, a large program may best be built as a set of modules that are separated from each other (via "walls"). A module may be a (set of) function(s), or a (set of) object(s). These modules are tightly coupled, with only explict well-defined channels of communication between the modules. In addition, we often find that a "divide-and-conquer" technique is useful for deriving algorithms. This leads us to consider recursion (the "mirrors" mentioned above).