#62 What is an Algorithm?

#62 What is an Algorithm?

Author: David Kopec, Rebecca Kopec August 16, 2021 Duration: 15:15

Algorithms are at the heart of computer science. And they're actually a really simple concept. What are the steps we need to take to solve a problem? The best algorithms are generic enough to be used on different problems of the same type. Software developers favor algorithms that are efficient and easy to implement. In this episode we'll discuss what an algorithm is, how algorithms are measured, how we can be sure they are correct, and some of the issues around bias in algorithms.

Show Notes

Follow us on Twitter @KopecExplains.

Theme “Place on Fire” Copyright 2019 Creo, CC BY 4.0

Find out more at http://kopec.live


Ever wondered how the apps on your phone actually work, or what really happens when you click "download"? Kopec Explains Software is here to demystify those everyday digital mysteries. Hosted by David and Rebecca Kopec, this conversation breaks down complex, software-related ideas into clear, relatable concepts you can grasp. The focus isn't on jargon or textbook definitions, but on building a genuine, intuitive feel for how technology operates. Each episode picks apart a different facet of the software world, from the fundamentals of coding to the ethics of artificial intelligence, translating technical subjects into plain English. You'll come away not just with new knowledge, but with a clearer framework for understanding the digital systems that shape our lives. It’s a straightforward, engaging resource for anyone with curiosity about the technology they use daily, whether you're a seasoned professional looking for a fresh perspective or a complete novice starting from scratch. Tune into the podcast for thoughtful discussions that make the vast and often intimidating landscape of software feel accessible and genuinely interesting.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Kopec Explains Software
Podcast Episodes
#135 Hacking the Classic Mac OS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:13
The Classic Mac OS refers to the operating system that Apple Macintosh computers ran from 1984 to 2001. While it was one of the first popular operating systems to feature a graphical user interface, it hit some very real…
#134 The CrowdStrike Incident [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:47
On July 19th, 2024, the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike released an update for its Falcon Sensor software that brought down millions of Windows computers around the world. Some of these computers were involved in critical…
#133 Ad Blockers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:45
Approximately one in four consumers uses an ad blocker. But do they stop to consider whether that is actually a good thing for them? In this episode, we briefly touch on the technical aspects of ad blockers before having…
#132 What is Machine Learning? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:29
Machine Learning is a discipline within the broader field of Artificial Intelligence concerned with using insights from datasets to make predictions, classify new data points, and generate content. The algorithms used va…
#131 Abandonware [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:52
Abandonware is old software that is no longer commercially available. It's not a legal term, and in fact it's not legal to download most of the software that is termed "abandonware." In this episode we explain what aband…
#130 Grace Hopper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:37
Grace Hopper is one of the most iconic people in the world of software. Her career as a mathematician, software innovator, computer science advocate, programmer, and technical leader spanned the early era of computing th…
#129 BASIC [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:32
The creation of BASIC was one of the most important steps in the democratization of computing. BASIC, coupled with the Dartmouth Time Sharing System, was developed by math professors John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz along wi…
#128 Copyright & Machine Learning Models [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:02
Many large sophisticated machine learning models, like those employed in generative AI, are trained on immense amounts of copyrighted images or text. How is that legal? In this episode we delve into the exceptions to cop…
#127 The Google Search Antitrust Lawsuit [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:23
In 2020 the Trump administration and eleven state attorney generals initiated an antitrust lawsuit against Google for its alleged anti-competitive behaviors in the search engine market. Last month, the lawsuit went to tr…
#126 How Does Google Make Money? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:09
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is one of the largest companies in the world by market capitalization. But where does all of the revenue come from to support that? In this episode we analyze Alphabet's third quar…