Divide and Conquer, Sorting and Searching, and Randomized Algorithms (Coursera)

Offered by Stanford University,
Divide and Conquer, Sorting and Searching, and Randomized Algorithms (Coursera)

The primary topics in this part of the specialization are: asymptotic ("Big-oh") notation, sorting and searching, divide and conquer (master method, integer and matrix multiplication, closest pair), and randomized algorithms (QuickSort, contraction algorithm for min cuts).

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Course 1 of 4 in the Algorithms Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Introduction; "big-oh" notation and asymptotic analysis.

WEEK 2
Divide-and-conquer basics; the master method for analyzing divide and conquer algorithms.

WEEK 3
The QuickSort algorithm and its analysis; probability review.

WEEK 4
Linear-time selection; graphs, cuts, and the contraction algorithm.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Programming Mobile Applications for Android Handheld Systems: Part 1 (Coursera) Coursera
University of Maryland, College Park

Programming Mobile Applications for Android Handheld Systems: Part 1 (Coursera)

This course introduces you to the design and implementation of Android applications for mobile devices. You will develop an app from scratch, assuming a basic knowledge of Java, and learn how to set up Android Studio, work with various Activities and create simple user interfaces to make your apps run smoothly.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Using Python to Interact with the Operating System (Coursera) Coursera
Google

Using Python to Interact with the Operating System (Coursera)

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to manipulate files and processes on your computer’s operating system. You’ll also have learned about regular expressions -- a very powerful tool for processing text files -- and you’ll get practice using the Linux command line on a virtual machine. And, this might feel like a stretch right now, but you’ll also write a program that processes a bunch of errors in an actual log file and then generates a summary file. That’s a super useful skill for IT Specialists to know.

Jun 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
The Arduino Platform and C Programming (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Irvine

The Arduino Platform and C Programming (Coursera)

The Arduino is an open-source computer hardware/software platform for building digital devices and interactive objects that can sense and control the physical world around them. In this class you will learn how the Arduino platform works in terms of the physical board and libraries and the IDE (integrated development environment). You will also learn about shields, which are smaller boards that plug into the main Arduino board to perform other functions such as sensing light, heat, GPS tracking, or providing a user interface display. The course will also cover programming the Arduino using C code and accessing the pins on the board via the software to control external devices.

Jun 8th 2026
4 Weeks
Analysis of Algorithms (Coursera) Coursera
Princeton University

Analysis of Algorithms (Coursera)

This course teaches a calculus that enables precise quantitative predictions of large combinatorial structures. In addition, this course covers generating functions and real asymptotics and then introduces the symbolic method in the context of applications in the analysis of algorithms and basic structures such as permutations, trees, strings, words, and mappings.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Code Yourself! An Introduction to Programming (Coursera) Coursera
University of Edinburgh,Universidad ORT Uruguay

Code Yourself! An Introduction to Programming (Coursera)

Have you ever wished you knew how to program, but had no idea where to start from? This course will teach you how to program in Scratch, an easy to use visual programming language. More importantly, it will introduce you to the fundamental principles of computing and it will help you think like a software engineer.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Algorithms on Strings (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, San Diego,Higher School of Economics - HSE University

Algorithms on Strings (Coursera)

World and internet is full of textual information. We search for information using textual queries, we read websites, books, e-mails. All those are strings from the point of view of computer science. To make sense of all that information and make search efficient, search engines use many string algorithms. Moreover, the emerging field of personalized medicine uses many search algorithms to find disease-causing mutations in the human genome.

Jun 8th 2026
4 Weeks
Cloud Computing Concepts, Part 1 (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Cloud Computing Concepts, Part 1 (Coursera)

Cloud computing systems today, whether open-source or used inside companies, are built using a common set of core techniques, algorithms, and design philosophies—all centered around distributed systems. Learn about such fundamental distributed computing "concepts" for cloud computing. Some of these concepts include: clouds, MapReduce, key-value/NoSQL stores, classical distributed algorithms, widely-used distributed algorithms, scalability, trending areas, and much, much more!

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Hardware Security (Coursera) Coursera
University of Maryland, College Park

Hardware Security (Coursera)

In this course, we will study security and trust from the hardware perspective. Upon completing the course, students will understand the vulnerabilities in current digital system design flow and the physical attacks to these systems. They will learn that security starts from hardware design and be familiar with the tools and skills to build secure and trusted hardware.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Functional Programming Principles in Scala (Coursera) Coursera
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Functional Programming Principles in Scala (Coursera)

Functional programming is becoming increasingly widespread in industry. This trend is driven by the adoption of Scala as the main programming language for many applications. Scala fuses functional and object-oriented programming in a practical package. It interoperates seamlessly with both Java and Javascript. Scala is the implementation language of many important frameworks, including Apache Spark, Kafka, and Akka. It provides the core infrastructure for sites such as Twitter, Tumblr and also Coursera.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Python for Data Science, AI & Development (Coursera) Coursera
IBM

Python for Data Science, AI & Development (Coursera)

Kickstart your learning of Python for data science, as well as programming in general, with this beginner-friendly introduction to Python. Python is one of the world’s most popular programming languages, and there has never been greater demand for professionals with the ability to apply Python fundamentals to drive business solutions across industries.

Jun 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Machine Learning: Regression (Coursera) Coursera
University of Washington

Machine Learning: Regression (Coursera)

Case Study - Predicting Housing Prices. In our first case study, predicting house prices, you will create models that predict a continuous value (price) from input features (square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms,...). This is just one of the many places where regression can be applied. Other applications range from predicting health outcomes in medicine, stock prices in finance, and power usage in high-performance computing, to analyzing which regulators are important for gene expression.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks