Algorithms

I just finished reading this book (Kindle version). I can safely say that I understood 2/3 of the book, which is not bad, considering my extremely low knowledge of math and computer science. I did learn a few concepts, like searching, sorting, graphs, paths, PageRank, deep learning (I already knew that one, but the concept became slightly clearer when I read this book), etc. But there are things I clearly did not understand, like complexity families (and also, I have hated vectors and matrices since high school!!!).

I liked that the author always gave concrete examples before explaining more complex stuff. For example, I really enjoyed learning about the secretary problem and how to calculate the best odds of making the right choice when provided with too many choices to go through. The chapters on searching, sorting, and PageRank were the ones that were the easiest to understand. I was disappointed that the author explained supervised learning but not unsupervised learning, and I still don’t fully understand how a Turing machine works. I know, shame on me!

I am glad I made the effort to read this book, because I think I now understand a bit better about how algorithms work, what they are, what they can do, and how they do things. While I was at it, I learned more about what modelling and simulations are, just for fun. Now I’m taking a course on how robots function, their different types, and their uses. I just hate feeling stupid all the time. I always forget 90% of what I learn, but at least I know a tiny bit more today than I did yesterday.