2.6 Algorithmically speaking
The word ‘‘algorithm’’ is often used generically to mean ‘‘something a computer does.’’ Algorithms are employed in the financial markets to try to calculate the exact right moment and price at which to sell a stock or bond. They are used in artificial intelligence to find patterns in data to understand natural language, construct responses in human conversation, find manufacturing anomalies, detect financial fraud, and even to create new spice mixtures for cooking.
Informally, an algorithm is a recipe. Like a recipe for food, an algorithm states what inputs you need (water, flour, butter, eggs, etc.), the expected outcome (for example, bread), the sequence of steps you take, the subprocesses you should use (stir, knead, bake, cool), and what to do when a choice presents itself (‘‘if the dough is too wet, add more flour’’).
We call each step an operation and give...
