Explaining Algorithms

An algorithm is a list of steps you follow to finish a task. For example, a recipe for how to make pizza in an algorithm:

1. Spread the dough in the pan

2. Cover the dough in a layer of pizza sauce

3. Sprinkle cheese on top of the sauce

4. Bake the pizza for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Take the pizza out of the oven and let it cool

6. Dig in!

You may not have realized it before, but you use algorithms like this one all day every day – from making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to solving math problems at school. Computers need algorithms and programs to show them how to do even the simplest things that we can do without thinking about them. Try these activities with your team to practice writing detailed algorithms for everyday tasks and to create programs that the computer can follow.

What is it?

Coding, or Programming, is simply the way people tell a computer what to do using instructions that the computer understands.

Computer science is the study of computers and the processes that use algorithms – including their principles, their hardware and software designs, and their impact on society.

What is the difference between an algorithm and a program?

An algorithm is the thinking behind what needs to happen, while the program is the actual instructions that make it happen. An algorithm has to be translated into a program before a computer can run it.