Harvard Professor Explains Algorithms in 5 Levels of Difficulty | WIRED

From the physical world to the virtual world, algorithms are seemingly everywhere. David J. Malan, Professor of Computer Science at Harvard University, has been challenged to explain the science of algorithms to 5 different people; a child, a teen, a college student, a grad student, and an expert.

Correction: Our Level 2 teen, Lexi Kemmer, is actually 17-years-old.

Director: Wendi Jonassen
Director of Photography: Zach Eisen
Editor: Louville Moore
Host: David J. Malan
Guests:
Level 1: Addison Vincent
Level 2: Lexi Kemmer
Level 3: Patricia Guirao
Level 4: Mahi Shafiullah
Level 5: Chris Wiggins
Creative Producer: Maya Dangerfield
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Paul Gulyas; Kameryn Hamilton
Production Manager: D. Eric Martinez
Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila
Casting Producer: Vanessas Brown; Nicholas Sawyer
Camera Operator: Brittany Berger
Gaffer: Gautam Kadian
Sound Mixer: Lily Van Leeuwen
Production Assistant: Ryan Coppola
Hair & Make-Up: Yev Wright-Mason
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Assistant Editor: Lauren Worona


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[Mummigoy]

The little girl at the start knows more about computer than most people at my job

[AnindyaMahajan]

The 6 year old girl has a really bright future ahead of her.

She solved the peanut butter challenge better than most adults do when they first take David's CS50 course!

[hebalon]

I think the little girl at the beginning has a better understanding of what an algorithm is than many journalists writing about algorithms. Her explanation was amazing. Simple but absolutely correct.

[felipellrocha]

As a software engineer, that little girl is a genius. She killed it!

[matorres]

Dude’s child explanation was more complicated than my junior and senior students can even understand and the little girl looked genuinely intrigued.

[kobefourthirty]

David Malan is not only a fantastic teacher, but at L4 and L5 he lets the grad student and expert do the explaining while he listens. There is a lot of humility there for someone so smart.

[adnanmohsinurrahman]

The graduate student is my brother. Let us wish for him a bright future. Thank you!
Best wishes, vaia! @mahi

[papasmurfication]

I'm watching this because of an algorithm.

[SamKrahl]

This is a stunning example of how to be a good educator. Fantastic job Prof. Malan!

[MonsterCucker]

I took Dr. Malan's CS50 course last year. God bless this gentlemen for providing excellent knowledge to the public. I even started to be more articulate just because the way he talks lol.

[christopherchan]

It is amazing that a 6-year-old can explain what algorithm is even better than an adult.

[aliaslami]

As a programmer, I think the 6-year-old girl has a perfect and clear mind, I'm sure she has a good future in computer engineering, she can explain things like this and understand easily.

[TheOriginalJohnDoe]

David is one of the best teachers for programming. He understands what students don’t understand and uses real world analogy’s in the best way.

[ashmac]

I love how this guy explains things without judgment! So many people are condescending when they know things.

[quickcinemarecap]

00:02 Algorithms are everywhere and offer opportunities to solve problems.
02:13 Creating an algorithm for making a peanut butter sandwich
06:19 Using loops in programming can make searching more efficient.
07:59 Algorithms for searching through a phone book can be optimized by dividing and conquering
11:41 Bubble sort algorithm explained in steps.
13:34 Algorithm in social media platforms like TikTok is more artificially intelligent than human-based decisions.
17:25 Algorithms are becoming increasingly integrated into our everyday lives
19:00 Data scientists use algorithms to optimize models and develop data products.
22:07 Understanding algorithms is loosely coupled to our progress in advancing great algorithms.
23:43 Large language models like GPT have changed people's perception of AI

[apschhokar]

The professor is really good, reminds me of why I like computer science. He adjusts his conversation based on the level of understanding very well.

[clauseland]

DAVID Man after I took CS50 I have been a huge fan. Why isn't every teacher so engaging as David. Thank you for being "dumb" so us as students don't have to feel stupid. You are the best David

[bellatadson]

Can we acknowledge how brilliant that little girl was?! So precious! <3

[hassamlatif]

I love that it turns into more and more of an interview as the levels progress. I mean I guess that's unavoidable if the people you talk to are in a similar field to yours. Still its interesting to see that.

[LivvieLynn]

Now teach my coworkers how to use excel.