Day 40: Introduction to Greedy Algorithms
Day 40: Introduction to Greedy Algorithms #
Welcome to Day 40 of our 60 Days of Coding Algorithm Challenge! Today, we’ll explore Greedy Algorithms, a powerful problem-solving approach used in optimization problems.
What are Greedy Algorithms? #
Greedy algorithms are a simple, intuitive class of algorithms that make the locally optimal choice at each step with the hope of finding a global optimum. In other words, a greedy algorithm never reconsiders its choices - it simply makes the best choice it can at each step.
Key Characteristics of Greedy Algorithms #
- Greedy Choice Property: A global optimum can be arrived at by selecting a local optimum.
- Optimal Substructure: An optimal solution to the problem contains optimal solutions to subproblems.
When to Use Greedy Algorithms #
Greedy algorithms are ideal for optimization problems. They are especially useful when the problem has the following properties:
- Greedy choice property
- Optimal substructure
- Safe move (the move does not prevent the algorithm from finding the optimal solution)
Example: Coin Change Problem (Greedy Approach) #
Let’s solve the coin change problem using a greedy …
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