The Art of Computer Programming,
Volume 4, Fascicle 0: Introduction to
Combinatorial Algorithms and
Boolean Functions by Donald E.
Knuth
The Richness Of Boolean Functions
This multivolume work on the analysis of algorithms has long been
recognized as the definitive description of classical computer science. The
three complete volumes published to date already comprise a unique and
invaluable resource in programming theory and practice. Countless
readers have spoken about the profound personal influence of Knuth’s
writings. Scientists have marveled at the beauty and elegance of his
analysis, while practicing programmers have successfully applied his
“cookbook” solutions to their day-to-day problems. All have admired Knuth
for the breadth, clarity, accuracy, and good humor found in his books.

To begin the fourth and later volumes of the set, and to update parts of the
existing three, Knuth has created a series of small books called fascicles,
which will be published at regular intervals. Each fascicle will encompass a
section or more of wholly new or revised material. Ultimately, the content
of these fascicles will be rolled up into the comprehensive, final versions of
each volume, and the enormous undertaking that began in 1962 will be
complete.
Volume 4, Fascicle 0
This fascicle introduces what will become by far the longest chapter in The
Art of Computer Programming, a chapter on combinatorial algorithms that
will itself fill three full-sized volumes. Combinatorial algorithms, informally,
are techniques for the high-speed manipulation of extremely large
quantities of objects, such as permutations or the elements of graphs.
Combinatorial patterns or arrangements solve vast numbers of practical
problems, and modern approaches to dealing with them often lead to
methods that are more than a thousand times faster than the
straightforward procedures of yesteryear. This fascicle primes the pump for
everything that follows in the chapter, discussing first the essential ideas of
combinatorics and then introducing fundamental ideas for dealing
efficiently with 0s and 1s inside a machine, including Boolean basics and
Boolean function evaluation. As always, the author’s exposition is
enhanced by hundreds of new exercises, arranged carefully for self-
instruction, together with detailed answers.
Personal Review: The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 4,
Fascicle 0: Introduction to Combinatorial Algorithms and
Boolean Functions by Donald E. Knuth
Nobody should read this book lightly. It continues the decades-long
practice of Knuth's series, by furnishing a huge set of exercises in the
computational field. Yet ones where the emphasis is not on writing
computer programs, though he does have some problems where you are
asked to do this. Instead, you have to nut out puzzles in what you might
term applied number theory. A key trait of the book, and of the entire
series, is that the reduction of an algorithm to source code is a relatively
minor aspect.
The book differs from the first 3 volumes in the surfeit of problems.
Perhaps in part because decades have elapsed since those volumes came

out. During which, Knuth accrued ever more problems that he now gives
us.
The focus of this book on Boolean functions can be an eye opener to some
readers. You might think, naively, how difficult could the theory of Boolean
functions be? Knuth shows that there is a vast level of complexity and
conceptual richness lurking in such apparently simple functions. The
typical computer science text that mentions Boolean functions might
devote some space to examples of these. But it rarely goes deeper than
explaining how to optimise, say, ORs of ANDs, where this is used for in
turn optimising circuit layouts on a chip. Knuth goes way beyond this.
Granted, those are introductory CS texts, and this is not. But the average
computer programmer or chip designer rarely goes beyond those in
mathematical depth. And so is unlikely to have seen the material in this
book.
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