Given a stove with the top-right burner warming, how does a Mathematician move a pot from the top-left burner to the top-right burner?
1) Lift the pot 3 inches.
2) Move the pot 18 inches to the right.
3) Lower the pot 3 inches.
4) Call these steps algorithm number 1.
Now, how does a Mathematician move a pot from the bottom-left burner to the top-right burner?
1) Lift the pot 3 inches.
2) Move the pot 12 inches forward.
3) Lower the pot 3 inches.
4) Execute algorithm number 1.
As you can see, an algorithm is a sequence of instructions.
How does a Computer Scientist move a pot on a stove?
How does a Computer Scientist move a pot from the bottom-left burner to the top-right burner?
procedure move_right( pot )
begin
pot.lift( 3, inches )
pot.move( right, 18, inches )
pot.lower( 3, inches )
end
main()
begin
stove.burner_heat( top_right, warm )
pot = stove.create_pot( bottom_left )
pot.lift( 3, inches )
pot.move( forward, 12, inches )
pot.lower( 3, inches )
execute move_right( pot )
end
As you can see, the Computer Scientist moves the pot the same way as the Mathematician, except for the special syntax. Therefore, a computer program is a special case of algorithm. Because this is the definition of a subset, we have a computer program being essentially an algorithm. More specifically, a computer program is an algorithm in a syntax that can be parsed by a compiler, interpreter, virtual machine, or CPU. And because an algorithm is a sequence of instructions, a computer program is a sequence of instructions in a syntax that can be parsed by a compiler, interpreter, virtual machine, or CPU.
Teacher: The sky is blue — except for the white clouds, not during overcast days, not at night, and away from pollution — because ...
Student: You lack knowledge. During a solar eclipse, the sky is dark.
Teacher: The sky is blue — except for the white clouds, not during overcast days, not at night, away from pollution, and not during a solar eclipse — because ...
Student: That's sloppy. During evenings, the sky is orange.
Teacher: The sky is blue — except for the white clouds, not during overcast days, not at night, away from pollution, not during a solar eclipse, and not at evenings — because nitrogen and oxygen scatter the blue wavelength.
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