Algorithms in Everyday Life
Algorithms are not a recent phenomenon and have existed long before modern computers. We have been using them unknowingly for all our lives and so have our ancestors.
Let’s look at an example of how we use algorithms on a daily basis. You’re hungry. To successfully complete the task of sufficing your appetite you need to eat so you decide to cook. You follow a series of steps in the following order to complete the specified task:
Example 1
This entire process is actually an algorithm. You followed steps in a particular order and as a result reached the desired outcome of a full stomach. Let’s break this down even further with another example, you have just bought a new pristine HD TV. You take it home and to your outrage discover that it won’t turn on. What do you do?
Example 2
The task: Fix the TV
The starting situation: TV won’t turn on
Step (conditional) 1: Check if the TV is plugged in properly, if:
- Yes: Proceed to step
- No: Plug in the TV
Step (conditional) 2: Check if there are batteries in the remote, if:
- Yes: Return TV to store
- No: Put the batteries in the remote