What's an algorithm? - David J. Malan

An algorithm is a mathematical method of solving problems both big and small. Though computers run algorithms constantly, humans can also solve problems with algorithms. David J. Malan explains how algorithms can be used in seemingly simple situations and also complex ones.

Lesson by David J. Malan, animation by enjoyanimation.

[alfredolinguine]

great now I can count how many people are in a room

[thedarkinone]

my school uses your videos to teach us and as notes :) that's how good you are

[EslamMohamedX]

David J. Malan is one of the GREATEST professors u may see throughout ur whole life !

[olashoretijesunimi]

Wow...Wow... This is one of the simplest and easy to watch videos I have watched on Algorithms. It passed the understanding of algorithms so clearly and the animations also helped to understand it greatly... Thanks so much for this video!

[ezx_]

NB: The word 'algorithm' has its roots in Latinizing the name of Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi in a first step to algorismus. He was a Persian mathematician, astronomer, geographer, and scholar in the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, whose name means 'the native of Khwarazm', a region that was part of Greater Iran and is now in Uzbekistan.
About 825, al-Khwarizmi wrote an Arabic language treatise on the Hindu–Arabic numeral system, which was translated into Latin during the 12th century under the title Algoritmi de numero Indorum. This title means "Algoritmi on the numbers of the Indians", where "Algoritmi" was the translator's Latinization of Al-Khwarizmi's name.[15] Al-Khwarizmi was the most widely read mathematician in Europe in the late Middle Ages, primarily through another of his books, the Algebra.[16] In late medieval Latin, algorismus, English 'algorism', the corruption of his name, simply meant the "decimal number system". In the 15th century, under the influence of the Greek word ἀριθμός 'number' (cf. 'arithmetic'), the Latin word was altered to algorithmus, and the corresponding English term 'algorithm' is first attested in the 17th century; the modern sense was introduced in the 19th century

[fredcode]

thank you prof david, you made me learn programming and really getting in depth of what programming is all about

[Atomos_tech]

I really like the way you create your content, the animation and the simplicity it makes the content easy to consume and interesting

[tbuzz]

Love David Malan, his teaching method is so easy to follow!

[henrybachman]

I love how these videos are short and still better than a lot of longer videos about the same subject out there.

[GAROmx]

This comes extra handy now that we have the COVID-19 when everyone is home schooled

[yashakadarkknight]

Anything having David Malan involved in it will always be the best

[rna]

Guys, please keep uploading more such content. It really helps people like me find answers to our problems.

[nilanjanmukhopadhyay]

I watched the video earlier. And today I am at the very end of finishing CS50. When I watched this video I didn't know who David J. Malan is. But now I know he is my favorite teacher of all time. Love for David and CS50. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ And thanks to the Youtube algorithm for bringing me back to the video.

[nottomention]

Always love to hear your lectures whether it’s on ocw or anywhere else!

[tundesanusi]

This is fantastic and I love the way the animation simplifies this!

[OCDTraci]

My "understanding" of algorithms was very muddled until I happened on this video. Thank you so very much.

[zaylanseals]

Thank you sooo much I’m going to start getting a BS in the fall of 2020 and I hear everyone saying algorithms are hard but watching you make it look basic just makes me feel a lot more confident to take on Computer science

[AmazeWebs]

@David Lim, It's a set of procedural steps and conditions that allow a condition to turn from unresolved to resolved. It's a map pointing to treasure, It's a method developed to form the same solution under any condition of the parameter.

[alvinkatojr]

Malan really is an amazing teacher! You can't but love CS after listening to this guy teach! 

[tundesanusi]

This is fantastic and I love the way the animation simplifies algorithm!