Algorithm Visualization

In addition to mathematical analysis and algorithms, there is still a third way to learn algorithms. It is called algorithm visualization It can be defined as the use of images to convey certain useful information about algorithms. That knowledge can be a vivid picture of the performance of an algorithm, its performance on different types of inputs, or the speed of its performance compared to other algorithms of the same problem. To achieve this goal, the visual-algorithm uses image elements — points, parts of a line, two- or three-dimensional bars, and so on — to represent other “interesting events” in algorithm operation.

There are two main types of viewing algorithm variations:

Static algorithm views

Appearance of a powerful algorithm, also called algorithm animation

The solid algorithm detection shows the continuation of the algorithm through a series of vertical images. The animation of the algorithm, on the other hand, shows a continuous presentation, similar to a movie of algorithm functions. Animation is a very complex option, which, of course, is very difficult to use.

Early efforts in the field of algorithm recognition go back to the 1970s. The water event took place in 1981 with the release of a 30-minute sound film entitled Sorting Out Sorting.  Ronald Baecker with the help of D. Sherman  developed classic detection algorithm in  University of Toronto. It contains a preview of nine well-known filtering algorithms and provided a convincing overview of related speed.

Exit Sort Effect has made filtering algorithms a never-ending favorite animation algorithm. This presentation is ideal, however, for demonstrating the actions of a common filtering algorithm for small inputs. For large files, Sorting Using the clever idea of ​​presenting data on a piece of points on a link plane, the first component represents the location of the object in the file and the second represents the value of the object; with such a representation, the filtering process looks like a random “random” scatterplot of points on points corresponding to the diagonal of the frame (Figure 2.9). In addition, many filtering algorithms work by comparing and exchanging two things at a time

World Wide Web in the 1990s. They vary widely from a specific algorithm to a group of algorithms for the same problem (e.g., filtering) or the same application area (e.g., geometric algorithms) to the standard purpose animation systems. At the end of 2010, the catalog of available viewing links, maintained under the NSF-supported AlgoVizProject, contained more than 500 links. Unfortunately, the existing visual survey found most of you to be of low quality, and the content is very sophisticated in simple topics like filtering [Sha07].

There are two main applications for algorithm demonstration:

Research and Education

The potential benefits of researchers are based on the assumption that algorithm detection can help reveal some unknown aspects of algorithms. For example, one researcher used the replica of the Tower of Hanoi algorithm in which the discs were randomly assigned to two different colors. You have noticed that two discs of the same color have never been in direct contact when using an algorithm. This insight helped him to develop a better version of the old algorithm. To give another example, Bentley and McIlroy [Ben93] mentioned using an algorithm animation system in their work to improve the library implementation of the advanced filtering algorithm.

The visual use of an educational algorithm aims to help students learn algorithms.. Although some tests have reported good learning results, others have failed. Increasing evidence suggests that creating complex software programs will not be enough.