Log In Sign Up
Day 40

Day 40: Introduction to Greedy Algorithms

40/60 Days

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 #

  1. Greedy Choice Property: A global optimum can be arrived at by selecting a local optimum.
  2. 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:

  1. Greedy choice property
  2. Optimal substructure
  3. 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 …