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Nine Algorithms That Changed the Future
The Ingenious Ideas That Drive Today's Computers
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John MacCormick
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2020
About this book
Nine revolutionary algorithms that power our computers and smartphones
Every day, we use our computers to perform remarkable feats. A simple web search picks out a handful of relevant needles from the world's biggest haystack. Uploading a photo to Facebook transmits millions of pieces of information over numerous error-prone network links, yet somehow a perfect copy of the photo arrives intact. Without even knowing it, we use public-key cryptography to transmit secret information like credit card numbers, and we use digital signatures to verify the identity of the websites we visit. How do our computers perform these tasks with such ease? John MacCormick answers this question in language anyone can understand, using vivid examples to explain the fundamental tricks behind nine computer algorithms that power our PCs, tablets, and smartphones.
Author / Editor information
John MacCormick is associate professor of computer science at Dickinson College and a leading teacher, researcher, and writer in his field. His books include What Can Be Computed? A Practical Guide to the Theory of Computation (Princeton).
Reviews
"A great way to find out what computer science is really about. . . . MacCormick provides a taste of why we computer scientists get so excited about algorithms."—Paul Curzon, Science
"Excellent. . . . This is an unusually well-written text suitable for anyone with an interest in how today's information systems really work."—John Gilbey, Times Higher Education
"MacCormick leaves the reader with a sense of the engine that powers the networked world."—Kevin Slavin, New Scientist
"There's likely no better account of the software that underpins everything from Amazon to Facebook."—Brett Szmajda, Cosmos
"Excellent. . . . This is an unusually well-written text suitable for anyone with an interest in how today's information systems really work."—John Gilbey, Times Higher Education
"MacCormick leaves the reader with a sense of the engine that powers the networked world."—Kevin Slavin, New Scientist
"There's likely no better account of the software that underpins everything from Amazon to Facebook."—Brett Szmajda, Cosmos
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Frontmatter
i -
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CONTENTS
vii -
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Foreword
ix -
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1. Introduction: What Are the Extraordinary Ideas Computers Use Every Day?
1 -
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2. Search Engine Indexing: Finding Needles in the World’s Biggest Haystack
10 -
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3. PageRank: The Technology That Launched Google
24 -
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4. Public Key Cryptography: Sending Secrets on a Postcard
38 -
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5. Error-Correcting Codes: Mistakes That Fix Themselves
60 -
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6. Pattern Recognition: Learning from Experience
80 -
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7. Data Compression: Something for Nothing
105 -
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8. Databases: The Quest for Consistency
122 -
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9. Digital Signatures: Who Really Wrote This Software?
149 -
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10. What Is Computable?
174 -
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11. Conclusion: More Genius at Your Fingertips?
199 -
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Acknowledgments
205 -
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Sources and Further Reading
207 -
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Index
211
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
October 26, 2020
eBook ISBN:
9780691209050
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook ISBN:
9780691209050
Keywords for this book
Algorithm; Computer science; Computer; Database; Public-key cryptography; Computer scientist; Computer program; Web search engine; Checksum; Digital signature; Computation; PageRank; Pattern recognition; Cryptography; Web page; Artificial neural network; Hyperlink; Information theory; Ranking (information retrieval); Instance (computer science); Scientist; Mathematician; Padlock; Technology; Your Computer (British magazine); Spamdexing; Computing; Email; Addition; Calculation; Website; Lecture; Server (computing); AltaVista; Lossy compression; Lossless compression; Pixel; Quantum computing; Analogy; Exponentiation; Source code; Software; Certificate authority; Result; Artificial intelligence; Cryptographic hash function; Phrase; MD5; Diffie–Hellman key exchange; Modular arithmetic; Sergey Brin; Web search query; Computing Machinery and Intelligence; Key exchange; Web browser; Laptop; World Wide Web; Programmer; Decision tree; Larry Page; Machine learning; Run-length encoding; Instruction set; Huffman coding; Block cipher; Kilobyte; Hard disk drive; JPEG; Online banking; Computer simulation
Audience(s) for this book
For a non-specialist adult audience
