Learning Resources
This module is populated from the local chunked books in library/raw/semester-00-orientation/books. Use this page as a source map, not as a reading dump.
Source Stack
| Book | Role | How to use it in this module |
|---|---|---|
| Grokking Algorithms | Primary teaching support | Default escalation for binary search, growth intuition, data-shape tradeoffs, recursion, sorting, and BFS |
| Computer Science Distilled | Selective support | Use only when you want a broader CS framing for growth, abstractions, or strategy language |
| Clean Code | Not used directly here | Save for Module 3 |
Resource Map by Cluster
Cluster 1: Search and Growth
| Need | Best local chunk | Why |
|---|---|---|
| binary search and why sorted order matters | Binary search / A better way to search / Logarithms | Best first explanation of halving the search space |
| Big O intuition | Running time / Big O notation | Strong bridge from search to growth reasoning |
| common runtime families | What Big O | Best quick reference for comparing growth classes |
Cluster 2: Data and Decomposition
| Need | Best local chunk | Why |
|---|---|---|
| arrays and list tradeoffs | Arrays | Fastest entry into storage-by-operation thinking |
| insertion and deletion details | Terminology / Unordered Ordered / Deletions | Best follow-up when you need the cost explanation |
| recursion and the stack | Recursion and 3 Recursion | Best for base cases and unfinished work on the stack |
| selection sort vs quicksort | Example Code Listing, 4 Quicksort, and Quicksort (Part 1) | Best for contrasting repeated scanning with partitioning |
| key lookup and collisions | 5 Hash Tables and Collisions / Performance / Load factor | Best for average-case lookup and its caveats |
Cluster 3: Graph Thinking
| Need | Best local chunk | Why |
|---|---|---|
| shortest path in an unweighted graph | 6 Breadth-first Search | Best first pass on BFS waves |
| why BFS needs a queue | Queues / Running time | Best chunk for queue behavior and search order |
| more graph examples | 6 Breadth-first Search | Good second pass when the first trace is still fuzzy |
Exercise Support Chunks
Use these when the concept pages are understood but your fluency is weak:
- Binary search / A better way to search / Logarithms
- 3 Recursion
- Quicksort (Part 1)
- Queues / Running time
Use Rules
- If you are stuck on a concept, open one chunk, not a whole chapter sequence.
- If you only need more reps, use the exercise lanes before adding more reading.
- If your explanation still depends on quoting the book, stop and redraw the trace from memory.