This course focuses on the mathematical foundations behind algorithms, efficiency, and recursive problem solving, building on the logic and counting techniques developed in earlier courses. It introduces key ideas from number theory and shows how they naturally lead to efficient algorithms used throughout computer science.

Discrete Math for Computer Science - Algorithms & Recursion

Discrete Math for Computer Science - Algorithms & Recursion
This course is part of Discrete Mathematical Tools for Computer Science Specialization

Instructor: Kenneth Wai-Ting Leung
Included with
Recommended experience
What you'll learn
Analyse algorithm efficiency using asymptotic growth and mathematical reasoning.
Apply number theory concepts to algorithms and basic cryptographic systems.
Design and reason about recursive algorithms using induction and recurrence relations.
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February 2026
6 assignments
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There are 7 modules in this course
This module explores number theory (GCD, modular arithmetic), cryptography basics, mathematical induction, recurrence relations, and algorithm correctness. Students learn to prove properties of recursive and iterative solutions and understand secure systems like RSA encryption. It equips learners to design, verify, and analyze efficient, secure computational processes in software, cybersecurity, and advanced computing.
What's included
1 reading
Modular arithmetic studies arithmetic operations under remainders and divisibility. This topic introduces divisibility, congruences, and modular computations, which simplify calculations with large numbers and form the basis of many algorithms in computer science, including hashing, cryptography, and error detection.
What's included
17 videos1 reading1 assignment
This topic explores greatest common divisors (GCDs), the Euclidean algorithm, and their applications. It also introduces multiplicative inverses, linear congruences, and the Chinese Remainder Theorem, which are fundamental tools for solving number-theoretic problems efficiently in algorithms and cryptography.
What's included
18 videos1 reading1 assignment
This topic introduces cryptography as the study of secure communication over insecure channels. It covers secret-key cryptography, classical ciphers, key exchange problems, and public-key cryptography concepts, illustrating how number theory and modular arithmetic enable secure data transmission in modern systems.
What's included
18 videos1 reading1 assignment
This topic studies how to evaluate algorithm efficiency by analyzing running time and growth rates. It introduces asymptotic notation, such as Big-Theta, and applies these concepts to compare algorithms, emphasizing performance for large inputs rather than exact execution details.
What's included
18 videos1 reading1 assignment
Mathematical induction is a proof technique used to establish the truth of infinitely many statements. This topic introduces the principle of induction, its variants, and applications to proving formulas, inequalities, and properties of recursively defined structures common in mathematics and computer science.
What's included
16 videos1 reading1 assignment
Recursion defines objects and processes in terms of themselves. This topic introduces recursive definitions, recursive algorithms, and techniques for reasoning about their correctness and efficiency.
What's included
26 videos1 reading1 assignment
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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
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When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
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