Nine Algorithms That Changed the Future: The Ingenious Ideas That Drive Today's Computers: 112 (Princeton Science Library) - Softcover

Maccormick, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0691226040 ISBN 13: 9780691226040

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2021

Synopsis

Nine revolutionary algorithms that power our computers and smartphones

Every day, we use our computers to perform remarkable feats. A simple web search picks out a handful of relevant needles from the world's biggest haystack. Uploading a photo to Facebook transmits millions of pieces of information over numerous error-prone network links, yet somehow a perfect copy of the photo arrives intact. Without even knowing it, we use public-key cryptography to transmit secret information like credit card numbers, and we use digital signatures to verify the identity of the websites we visit. How do our computers perform these tasks with such ease? John MacCormick answers this question in language anyone can understand, using vivid examples to explain the fundamental tricks behind nine computer algorithms that power our PCs, tablets, and smartphones.

About this title

About the Author

John MacCormick is associate professor of computer science at Dickinson College and a leading teacher, researcher, and writer in his field. His books include What Can Be Computed? A Practical Guide to the Theory of Computation (Princeton).

Edition details

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691226040
• ISBN 13: 9780691226040
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 232