Читать книгу Algorithms For Dummies - John Paul Mueller, John Mueller Paul, Luca Massaron - Страница 33

A myth that defies explanation is that the techniques currently used to process huge quantities of data are somehow new. Yes, new algorithms do appear all the time, but the basis for these algorithms is all of the algorithms that have gone before. In fact, when you think about Sir Isaac Newton, you might think of someone who invented something new, yet even he stated (using correct spelling for his time), “If I have seen further it is by standing on the sholders of Giants” (see https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton for additional quotes and insights).

The algorithms you use today weren’t even new in the days of Aristotle (see https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-mathematics/) and Plato (see https://www.storyofmathematics.com/greek_plato.html). The origins of algorithms in use today are so hidden in history that the best anyone can say is that math relies on adaptations of knowledge from ancient times. The use of algorithms since antiquity should give you a certain feeling of comfort because the algorithms in use today are based on knowledge tested for thousands of years.

This isn’t to say that some mathematicians haven’t overturned the apple cart over the years. For example, John Nash’s theory, Nash Equilibrium, significantly changed how economics is considered today (see https://www.masterclass.com/articles/nash-equilibrium-explained). Of course, recognition for such work comes slowly. Nash had to wait for a long time before he received much in the way of professional recognition (see the story at https://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S42/72/29C63/index.xml) despite having won a Nobel Prize in economics for his contributions. Just in case you’re interested, John Nash’s story is depicted in the movie A Beautiful Mind, which contains some much-debated scenes, including one containing a claim that the Nash Equilibrium somehow overturns some of the work of Adam Smith, another contributor to economic theories. (See one such discussion at https://www.quora.com/Was-Adam-Smith-wrong-as-claimed-by-John-Nash-in-the-movie-A-Beautiful-Mind.)