If you are an algorithm beginner, then you must be wondering who we can explain them, what are they and how they impact our society? In fact, algorithms are all around us, and they make the digital world functional. It is essential to mention that algorithms aren’t only used in computing sciences but they are a mathematical entity. They were first discovered in 1600 BC, but the modern use started around 1930s. In this article, we will explain the top four algorithms that rule the world and why without them our life wouldn’t be possible.
What is the best algorithm to manage elements? It all depends on what you need, and that’s why we put the three more frequently used algorithms which are used to sort items. Maybe you have preferences, but three of them are equally good. The merge sort algorithm is one of the essential algorithms nowadays. It uses divide and conquers approach to solve problems. John von Neumann invented this algorithm in 1945. The quicksort has a different approach to sorting issues. It can use in-place partition algorithms, but the problem with them is that they aren’t stable sort, except for sorting RAM-based arrays. The last one is the heap sort which uses priority queue that decreases time in the data.
Our entire digital world uses three simple, but very potent algorithms, which change signals form their time domain into their frequency domain and vice versa. In fact, you are seeing and reading this articles thanks to these algorithms. The internet, Wi-Fi connection, smartphones, PCs, satellites and other devices have a computer inside and use these algorithms to function, and you can’t get a degree in science without studying this type of algorithms.
It is safe to say that internet wouldn’t be functional without this algorithm. This graph search algorithm is used in various applications and, in this case, the problem can be modeled and presented as a graph, and you have to find the shortest path between two nodes. Considering that science has advanced, and today we can use better solutions of finding the shortest route, but Dijkstra’s algorithm is still used because of its stability in systems which require it.
If there weren’t cryptography and cybersecurity, then the internet wouldn’t be as important as it is today. The security can be observed from different perspectives, you may think security in the era of NSA and other intelligence agencies or are you really that naïve to believe that you are safe on the Internet. People need to be safe to spend their money. After all, you wouldn’t fill out your credit card number on the web, if you know it’s not secure. In this case, RSA algorithm remains as the most important in the field of cryptography. It shapes who cryptography works, and it’s a solution to a simple, but also challenging problems.