Algorithm

Key people

• Éva TardosHungarian mathematician
• Joseph KruskalAmerican statistician (1928-2010)
• David S. JohnsonAmerican computer scientist (1945-2016)
• Teuvo KohonenFinnish computer scientist (1934–2021)

Timeline

• 2500 BC2500 BC describes the earliest division algorithm.
• 1600 BC1600 BC, Babylonian clay tablets described algorithms for computing formulas.
• 300 BC300 BC).Examples of ancient Indian mathematics included the Shulba Sutras, the Kerala School, and the Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta.
• 1225The word algorism in English came to mean the use of place-value notation in calculations; it occurs in the Ancrene Wisse from circa 1225.
• 1596By 1596, this form of the word was used in English, as algorithm, by Thomas Hood.

Read

• Introduction to AlgorithmsThomas H. Cormen · 1990Book
• Algorithms to Live ByBrian Christian · 2016Book
• Data MiningMehmed Kantardzic · 2002Book
• Applied CryptographyBruce Schneier · 1994Book

Listen

• AlgorithmiHeartPodcasts and TenderfootTVPodcast
• The Algorithmic AdvantageThe Algorithmic AdvantagePodcast
• Algorithms PodcastAlgorithms PodcastPodcast
• ADSP: Algorithms + Data Structures = ProgramsConor Hoekstra, Bryce Adelstein Lelbach & Ben DeanePodcast

Voices to follow

• Kate Crawford@katecrawford · XAustralian researcher
• Rasmus Pagh@RasmusPagh1 · XDanish computer scientist
• Robert Pless@rbpless · XComputer scientist
• Katharina A. Zweig@nettwerkerin · XGerman computer scientist

By the numbers

• 73.6Internet users (%) — global, 2025 (World Bank)
• 111.5Mobile subscriptions / 100 — global, 2025 (World Bank)

Debates

• Should social media algorithms prioritize user engagement or diverse content?One view: Prioritizing engagement keeps users on platforms longer, benefiting businesses and fostering community. · Another: Prioritizing diverse content exposes users to new ideas and reduces the formation of echo chambers.Open question
• Are algorithms primarily responsible for the spread of misinformation online?One view: Algorithms amplify content based on engagement metrics, inadvertently boosting viral misinformation. · Another: Human choices in creating, sharing, and believing content are the primary drivers of misinformation spread.Open question
• Should algorithms used in public-facing systems be fully transparent and explainable?One view: Transparency allows for accountability and helps users understand how information is presented to them. · Another: Full transparency could compromise proprietary information and make systems vulnerable to manipulation.Open question

Glossary

• AlgorithmA set of rules or instructions a computer follows to solve a problem or complete a task.
• Filter BubbleA state of intellectual isolation resulting from personalized content feeds that show only information a user is likely to agree with.
• Echo ChamberA situation where beliefs are amplified or reinforced by communication and repetition inside a closed system.
• Recommendation SystemAlgorithms that suggest items, like videos or products, to users based on their past behavior and preferences.
• Algorithmic BiasSystematic and repeatable errors or unfair outcomes produced by a computer system due to flawed data or design.
• PersonalizationThe process of tailoring content, services, or products to individual users based on their collected data.

Careers

Roles this can lead toward

Student research

Published policy papers by One Young India delegates — every delegate leaves published under their own name.

• Separating Real and AI Media – Difficulties and SolutionsK.V. Siva Surya
• The Public Persona Trap: US College Admissions and Social MediaGunika Chaudhary
• Understanding misinformation in India: The case for a meaningful regulatory approach for social media platformsGandharv Dhruv Madan
• The Evolution of Social Media Marketing: From Engagement to CommerceHimanshi Bhutoria
• The Algorithmic Advisor: The Case For Bringing Investment Financial Services to Everyone By Means Of Robo-AdvisorsNalin Aggarwal

Threads 3

Where this connects to other fields — and why it's worth knowing.

• Biodiversity Loss Environment

  A farm that plants only one crop looks efficient until one disease wipes out the entire field. Social media feeds do the same thing to ideas: by chasing whatever the average person likes, the algorithm quietly kills off variety, leaving everyone staring at the same few things. Monoculture in a field and monoculture in your feed are both fragile for the same reason.

• Optimization Mathematics

  An app tunes your feed to get the most clicks, because clicks were supposed to mean 'people find this valuable.' But once you chase clicks above all, they stop meaning that. This is Goodhart's law: the moment a measurement becomes the target, it gets gamed and destroys the very thing it was standing in for.

• World Literature Literature

  You can only read the foreign novels that someone chose to translate, publish, and push toward a prize. A tiny handful of publishers and translators act like customs officers, deciding which stories from other countries even reach your shelf. Most of world literature never makes it through that gate to you.