The Basics (Terminology)
This 9-letter word refers to a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem
Algorithm
To save time at a library, you might use this "search" method where you start at the middle and eliminate half the books at each step
Binary Search
This simple (but slow) sorting algorithm repeatedly swaps adjacent elements if they are in the wrong order.
Bubble Sort
This search method checks every single item in a list from beginning to end until the target is found.
Linear Search
This term describes "unfairness" in an algorithm, often caused by the data used to train it.
Algorithmic Bias
This is the term for a mistake or error in an algorithm that causes it to behave unexpectedly.
Bug
GPS apps like Google Maps use algorithms to find this - the path with the lowest "cost" in time or distance.
Shortest Path
To organize a deck of cards by "inserting" each card into its proper place, you are using this algorithm.
Insertion Sort
True or False: A Binary Search will only work if the list is already sorted
True
Algorithms on social media are often criticized for creating these, where users only see info that confirms their own beliefs.
When an algorithm repeats a set of instructions until a condition is met, it's called this (rhymes with "soup").
Loop
Streaming services use "Recommendation Algorithms" based on this process of finding patterns in your past behavior.
Data Mining/Filtering
This "divide and conquer" algorithm splits a list into individual items and then pieces them back together in order.
Merge Sort
This is the specific "target," an algorithm is look for in a collection of data.
This is the practice of making an algorithm's decision-making process clear and understandable to humans.
Transparency
This "visual algorithm" uses boxes and arrows to show the flow of a process
Flowchart
A recipe for baking a cake is a real-world example of this algorithmic concept.
Sequence
Sorting algorithms are often measured by "Big O" notation, which described this: how the time to run grows as the list gets bigger.
Complexity/Efficiency
If a Linear Search takes 10 seconds to find a name in a list of 10 people, it would take roughly this long to find a name in a list of 100.
100 seconds
When an algorithm is so complex that even its creators can't explain exactly how it reached a conclusion, it is called this.
Black Box
This is the informal, high-level description of an algorithm that looks like code but it meant for humans to read.
Pseudocode
This term describes an algorithm that makes the "best" logical choice at each step, hoping to find the overall best solution.
Greedy Algorithm
In a library, sorting books by Genre, then by Author, then by Title is an example of this "multi-level" sorting.
Nested Sorting
This type of search starts at a "root" and explores as far as possible along each branch before backtracking.
Depth-First Search
This is the set of moral principles that govern how algorithms should be designed and used.
Ethics