appendix B Algorithms and programming languages
This appendix lays the foundation for understanding the concept of AI and introduces two key principles, algorithms and programming languages, which are vital components in both computer science and AI development.
B.1 Algorithms
Computer programs are a set of instructions expressed in a form that is executable by the machine. Mainly, computer programs can be classified as either operating systems or applications. Operating systems manage the computer’s internal functions, while applications allow computer users to do things like play a video game or type a document. Both operating systems and applications use algorithms to define their logic and to describe the steps that need to be followed by the computer if it is to carry out particular tasks. As such, algorithms lie at the heart of computer science.
The word algorithm is the Latinization of the name of Persian mathematician Al-Khwarizmi, who wrote The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing between 813 and 833 ce. The only remaining copy of this historic work is kept at Oxford University, and in it, Al-Khwarizmi presents step-by-step processes for solving various types of problems. For example, he was the first to formally introduce methods like the quadratic formula for solving second-degree equations of the form ax2 + bx + c = 0.