Читать книгу Algorithms For Dummies - John Paul Mueller, John Mueller Paul, Luca Massaron - Страница 13

The previous section mentions the toast algorithm for a specific reason. For some reason, making toast is probably the most popular algorithm ever created. Many grade-school children write their equivalent of the toast algorithm long before they can even solve the most basic math. It’s not hard to imagine how many variations of the toast algorithm exist and what the precise output is of each of them. The results likely vary by individual and the level of creativity employed. There are also websites dedicated to telling children about algorithms, such as the one at https://www.idtech.com/blog/algorithms-for-kids. In short, algorithms appear in great variety and often in unexpected places.

Every task you perform on a computer involves algorithms. Some algorithms appear as part of the computer hardware. The very act of booting a computer involves the use of an algorithm. You also find algorithms in operating systems, applications, and every other piece of software. Even users rely on algorithms. Scripts help direct users to perform tasks in a specific way, but those same steps could appear as written instructions or as part of an organizational policy statement.

Daily routines often devolve into algorithms. Think about how you spend your day. If you’re like most people, you perform essentially the same tasks every day in the same order, making your day an algorithm that solves the problem of how to live successfully while expending the least amount of energy possible. After all, that’s what a routine does; it makes us efficient.

Throughout this book, you see the same three elements for every algorithm:

1 Describe the problem.

2 Create a series of steps to solve the problem (well defined).

3 Perform the steps to obtain a desired result (finite and effective).