CSUMB Computer Science Learning Journal

 Learning about merge sort was interesting. I used the PowerPoint exercise as well as watched the video lecture about merge sort. I used the video to help study for the midterm and other quizzes. Merge sort is simple to understand; the algorithm divides the array into two segments, which then recursively solves the first and second halves of the array before merging the two now sorted halves together.

 This week, I've learned about several algorithm searches and their use cases. Some being BFS (Breadth-First Search), DFS (Depth-First Search), and the brute force string matching algorithm.  BFS works by exploring the graph level by level. It starts at a designated node, visiting its neighbors first before moving onwards. A use case for this would be finding the shortest path with the fewest edges. BFS Example:        A      / | \     B  C  D    / \   E   F A → B → C → D → E → F I've watched previous recordings to help me get a better understanding of certain algorithms and the uncertainty I've had on some quiz problems.

 This week I've learned that brute force is a legitimate strategy that is used to solve issues. It uses pure trial and error without a systematic design in order to solve and or find what the purpose of the program is for. It is also possible to use algorithms in a brute force way, such as using selection sort. I've gone over past video recordings in order to supplement the questions on the previous quiz that I have answered incorrectly.