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Melissa L. Weber, Author at Science News for Students explains, Computers and others use these step-by-step rules to answer questions and process data.
A step-by-step collection of rules for carrying out some calculation or conducting some process, as mapped in this flow chart, is known as an algorithm. Computers perform everything they do by following the directions provided by mathematical algorithms.
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An algorithm is a precise step-by-step series of rules that leads to a product or to the solution to a problem. One good example is a recipe.
When bakers follow a recipe to make a cake, they end up with cake. If you follow that recipe precisely, time after time your cake will taste the same. But deviate from that recipe, even a little, and what emerges from the oven may disappoint your taste buds.
Some steps in an algorithm depend on what happened or was learned in earlier steps. Consider the cake example. Dry ingredients and wet ingredients might need to be combined in separate bowls before they can be mixed together. Similarly, some cookie batters must be chilled before they can be rolled out and cut into shapes. And some recipes call for the oven to be set to one temperature for the first few minutes of baking, and then changed for the rest of the cooking or baking time...
Mathematicians and computer scientists designed the algorithms that Google uses. They realized that searching the whole internet for the words in every question would take too long. One shortcut: Count the links between webpages, then give extra credit to pages with lots of links to and from other pages. Pages with more links to and from other pages will rank higher in the list of possible solutions that emerge from the search request.
Many computer algorithms seek new data as they work through a solution to some problem. A map app on a smartphone, for example, contains algorithms designed to find the fastest route or perhaps the shortest one. Some algorithms will connect to other databases to identify new construction zones (to avoid) or even recent accidents (which can tie up traffic). The app also may help drivers follow a chosen route.
Source: Science News for Students
