Computer Science: Algorithms, Theory, and Machines
- Free
- No certificate
- Intermediate
- 2 weeks
Computer Science: Algorithms, Theory, and Machines introduces the broader discipline of computer science to people who already have basic familiarity with Java, covering the second half of Sedgewick and Wayne's book Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Its stated intent is to demystify computation and to show the intellectual underpinnings and history of the field. The eleven modules move from sorting and searching, stacks and queues and symbol tables to an introduction to the theory of computing, Turing machines and intractability, and then to how machines work: a simple computing machine, von Neumann machines, combinational circuits and the central processing unit.
Coursera labels the course intermediate level with a flexible schedule and estimates two weeks at ten hours a week. The page states that all features are available for free and that no certificates, credentials or reports are awarded under Princeton University policy. The textbook is optional.
What you’ll learn
- Implement sorting, searching, stacks, queues and symbol tables
- Explain the theory of computing through Turing machines and intractability
- Describe how a simple computing machine and a von Neumann machine execute programs
- Build combinational circuits and understand the design of a central processing unit
Who it’s for
Learners who have finished a first Java course, ideally Programming with a Purpose, and want to see how algorithms, computability and hardware fit together.
Syllabus
11 sections as listed on coursera.org, 20 h 5 min in total.
- INFORMATION ABOUT LECTURES 1–10 10 min
- SORTING AND SEARCHING 2 h 11 min
- STACKS AND QUEUES 1 h 59 min
- SYMBOL TABLES 1 h 47 min
- INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY OF COMPUTING 1 h 53 min
- TURING MACHINES 2 h 3 min
- INTRACTABILITY 2 h 2 min
- A COMPUTING MACHINE 2 h 2 min
- VON NEUMANN MACHINES 1 h 54 min
- COMBINATIONAL CIRCUITS 1 h 56 min
- CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT 2 h 8 min
Instructors
- Robert Sedgewick William O. Baker *39 Professor in Computer Science, Emeritus, Computer Science, Princeton University
- Kevin Wayne Phillip Y. Goldman '86 University Lecturer, Computer Science, Princeton University
Course details
- Skills covered
- Algorithms
- Data Structures
- Computer Programming
- Computer Architecture
- Computational Logic
- Theoretical Computer Science
- Computer Science
- Java Programming
- Computer Hardware
- Computer Systems
- Hardware Architecture
- Includes
- 11 modules · 10 assignments
- Prerequisites
- Some related experience required
- Subtitles
- 25 languages
On coursera.org
Rated 4.6 out of 5 by 802 learners; 147,539 enrolled, as shown on the course page on 20 Oct 2026. These are coursera.org’s own figures, not ours.
Source: Princeton Online (opens in a new tab) · Verified · Report a change
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