WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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You may have heard the term Algorithm recently,

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whether it was online or maybe in some
conversation about technology.

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It's a word that gets thrown around a lot. But what exactly does it mean?

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Well, simply put an algorithm is a set of steps
used to complete a specific task.

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They're the building blocks for programming

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and they allow things like computers, smartphones, and websites to function and make decisions.

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But in addition to being used by technology,
a lot of things we do on a daily basis

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are also similar to algorithms

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Let's say you want to make some spaghetti.

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In order to do this successfully, 
there's a certain set of steps

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you need to follow in a particular order.

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First you need to boil a pot of water.

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Once it's boiling you then add the spaghetti and cook it for a set amount of time, stirring occasionally.

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Once it's finished you drain the water and then it's ready to be served with a sauce of your choice.

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That entire process is actually an algorithm. Because you followed those steps in that order,

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you reached your desired outcome,
a delicious pasta dish.

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But, if you were to make a mistake,
say over or under cooking your noodles,

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it probably wouldn't be as good.

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Programs work in a similar way. Their code is made up of algorithms telling them what to do.

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Let's say that we want to use
a navigation app to get directions.

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When we punch in a destination, the app uses an algorithm to look at the various available routes.

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Next, it uses a different algorithm to check the current traffic. And then a third one takes that information

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and calculates the best available route.

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All of these algorithms are built
right into the apps code.

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If there were any kind of error in that code, the app wouldn't be able to follow these algorithms correctly.

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Meaning, you wouldn't receive your directions.

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Both of these examples show
how both humans and computers

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can use algorithms to perform everyday tasks.

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The difference is that computers can use algorithms

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and calculate things better, faster,
and more efficiently than we can.

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Technology is only going to continue to evolve and get even better at what it does.

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As long as coding and
programming continue to be used,

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algorithms will be at the heart of these technologies guiding what they do and how they do it.

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GCF global creating opportunities for a better life.