This chapter handles sorting theory and discusses the cost of sorting.Sorting costs time (and comparisons - sometimes these are not free), which issomething that computer science students learn to quantify with complexitytheory up and down, typically by analyzing different sorting algorithms andestimating their costs as a function of the input size.
The chapter makes interesting detours between principles known from computerscience likeBeladys Anomaly,First-In-First-Out (FIFO),andRandom Replacement,and shows how similar these principles are to processes that happenin our brains, like theHuman Forgetting Curve, whichis a known phenomenon from neurosciences and psychology.
Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions
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The science of caching can not only be applied to computers, but also thephysical layout of library rooms, the ordering of clothes in the bedroom,management of post-its, and shelves, and why/when/how people remember or forgetthings:
My favorite main message of this concluding chapter is, that mathematics andalgorithms show us that we can stop stressing ourselves over always improving inall areas, because even with optimal strategies, the results are not alwaysoptimal, and accepting that is just rational.This does not mean that one should not try if science says that the probabilityof success is too low - but that one should try and simply adjust theirexpectations.
All our lives are constrained by limited space and time, limits that give rise to a particular set of problems. What should we do, or leave undone, in a day or a lifetime? How much messiness should we accept? What balance of new activities and familiar favorites is the most fulfilling? These may seem like uniquely human quandaries, but they are not: computers, too, face the same constraints, so computer scientists have been grappling with their version of such problems for decades. And the solutions they've found have much to teach us.
In a dazzlingly interdisciplinary work, acclaimed author Brian Christian (who holds degrees in computer science, philosophy, and poetry, and works at the intersection of all three) and Tom Griffiths (a UC Berkeley professor of cognitive science and psychology) show how the simple, precise algorithms used by computers can also untangle very human questions. They explain how to have better hunches and when to leave things to chance, how to deal with overwhelming choices and how best to connect with others. From finding a spouse to finding a parking spot, from organizing one's inbox to understanding the workings of human memory, Algorithms to Live By transforms the wisdom of computer science into strategies for human living.
Today's "machine-learning" systems, trained by data, are so effective that we've invited them to see and hear for us - and to make decisions on our behalf. But alarm bells are ringing. Systems cull résumés until, years later, we discover that they have inherent gender biases. Algorithms decide bail and parole - and appear to assess black and white defendants differently. We can no longer assume that our mortgage application, or even our medical tests, will be seen by human eyes. And autonomous vehicles on our streets can injure or kill.
An exploration of how computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives to solve common decision-making problems and illuminate the workings of the human mind. What should we do, or leave undone, in a day or a lifetime? How much messiness should we accept? What balance of the new and familiar is the most fulfilling? These may seem like uniquely human quandaries, but they are not. Computers, like us, confront limited space and time, so computer scientists have been grappling with similar problems for decades. And the solutions they've found have much to teach us. In a dazzlingly interdisciplinary work, Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths show how algorithms developed for computers also untangle very human questions. They explain how to have better hunches and when to leave things to chance, how to deal with overwhelming choices and how best to connect with others. From finding a spouse to finding a parking spot, from organizing one's inbox to peering into the future, Algorithms to Live By transforms the wisdom of computer science into strategies for human living.
"A remarkable book... A solid, research-based book that's applicable to real life. The algorithms the authors discuss are, in fact, more applicable to real-life problems than I'd have ever predicted.... It's well worth the time to find a copy of Algorithms to Live By and dig deeper."--Forbes"By the end of the book, I was convinced. Not because I endorse the idea of living like some hyper-rational Vulcan, but because computing algorithms could be a surprisingly useful way to embrace the messy compromises of real, non-Vulcan life."--The Guardian (UK)"I absolutely reveled in this book... It's the perfect antidote to the argument you often hear from young math students: 'What's the point? I'll never use this in real life!'... The whole business, whether it's the relative simplicity of the 37% rule or the mind-twisting possibilities of game theory, is both potentially practical and highly enjoyable as presented here. Recommended."--Popular Science (UK)"An entertaining, intelligently presented book... Craftily programmed to build from one good idea to the next... The value of being aware of algorithmic thinking--of the thornier details of 'human algorithm design, ' as Christian and Griffiths put it--is not just better problem solving, but also greater insight into the human mind. And who doesn't want to know how we tick?"--Kirkus Reviews"Compelling and entertaining, Algorithms to Live By is packed with practical advice about how to use time, space, and effort more efficiently. And it's a fascinating exploration of the workings of computer science and the human mind. Whether you want to optimize your to-do list, organize your closet, or understand human memory, this is a great read."--Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit"In this remarkably lucid, fascinating, and compulsively readable book, Christian and Griffiths show how much we can learn from computers. We've all heard about the power of algorithms--but Algorithms to Live By actually explains, brilliantly, how they work, and how we can take advantage of them to make better decisions in our own lives."--Alison Gopnik, coauthor of The Scientist in the Crib"I've been waiting for a book to come along that merges computational models with human psychology--and Christian and Griffiths have succeeded beyond all expectations. This is a wonderful book, written so that anyone can understand the computer science that runs our world--and more importantly, what it means to our lives."--David Eagleman, author of Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain
Christian holds degrees in computer science, philosophy, and poetry from Brown University and the University of Washington. A Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, he lives in San Francisco.
Tom Griffiths is a professor of psychology and computer science at Princeton, where he directs the Computational Cognitive Science Lab. He has published scientific papers on topics ranging from cognitive psychology to cultural evolution, and has received awards from the National Academy of Sciences, the Sloan Foundation, the American Psychological Association, and the Psychonomic Society, among others. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
A fascinating exploration of how insights from computer algorithms can be applied to our everyday lives, helping to solve common decision-making problems and illuminate the workings of the human mind. All our lives are constrained by limited space and time, limits that give rise to a particular set of problems. What should we do, or leave undone, in a day or a lifetime? How much messiness should we accept? What balance of new activities and familiar favorites is the most fulfilling? These may seem like uniquely human quandaries, but they are not: computers, too, face the same constraints, so computer scientists have been grappling with their version of such issues for decades. And the solutions they've found have much to teach us. In a dazzlingly interdisciplinary work, acclaimed author Brian Christian and cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths show how the algorithms used by computers can also untangle very human questions. They explain how to have better hunches and when to leave things to chance, how to deal with overwhelming choices and how best to connect with others. From finding a spouse to finding a parking spot, from organizing one's inbox to understanding the workings of memory, Algorithms to Live By transforms the wisdom of computer science into strategies for human living.--From dust jacket.
Merge sort is between Linear Time and Quadratic Time, one of the legendary algorithms in computer science.Merge sort is the divide and conquer approach. You can collate two sorted stacks almost instantly.In sorting a census level number of items, this is a difference between making 29 passes through the data set and 300 million.Method of choice for large scale industrial sorting problems.Can easily be paralleled.
The authors have succeeded in persuading the reader that solving a real-life condition, the way algorithms do it, is the most efficient way to do. The book does accomplish its goal of conveying the insights from computer algorithms and trying to apply it in real-life. But the aspects of their usage in real-life is questionable as I mentioned earlier. The book is written in an easy to understand language. 2ff7e9595c
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