What is an Algorithm and How Can Algorithms Help Us Think Smarter?

You must have heard the word algorithm more than once. Perhaps, you heard it from programmers and thought that it only applies to code. You might be a little wrong there. Algorithms are simply sets of instructions that help you get something done. They can be represented using pseudocode and or flow charts.

We will try to capture the meaning of an algorithm as much as possible so that even children can understand its concept and what it seeks to achieve.

An algorithm is a step-by-step instruction that is well detailed and can be used to solve a particular problem. As much as we like to think algorithms apply to programming, where the programmer tells the computer how to perform a task, it can also be used in day-to-day activities.

If you were to think of algorithms in non-programming ways, you would understand that everything we do follows a set of instructions until we can come up with results. The recipe on how to make a cake, the path you take in the supermarket to buy groceries, the procedure on how to unlock your device, and so many instances. Algorithms are pretty much the basis of everything we do.

Algorithms really help us make a more precise choice. The challenge is always about choosing the most efficient method that would also save time. When you take things through an algorithm, it makes you think better and gives you the most viable solutions from a list of options.

Always creating an algorithm for things opens your mind up to the many various ways you can use in achieving a task. To create an algorithm, you can use precise statements and expressions. The essence of algorithms is to optimize your approach to an objective and bring out the best and also saving time.