There is an introduction unit, where the foundations of algorithms are covered. At all points in the book, the jargon and technical information are presented so as to be readable by anyone who has dabbled to some extent in programming. The foundation unit seeks to enlighten the reader regarding the role algorithms play in modern computer programming and the growth of functions, among other things.

Introduction To Algorithms then moves on to Sorting and Order Statistics, introducing the concepts of Heapsort and Quicksort, and also explaining how to sort in real time. A number of other topics such as Design and Analysis and Graph Algorithms are covered in the book. One feature to note in this book is that two new chapters have been added in this third edition, one on multithreaded algorithms and another on Van Emde Boas trees.