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.
| Foreword |
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ix | |
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1 Introduction: What Are the Extraordinary Ideas Computers Use Every Day? |
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1 | (9) |
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2 Search Engine Indexing: Finding Needles in the World's Biggest Haystack |
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10 | (14) |
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3 PageRank: The Technology That Launched Google |
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24 | (14) |
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4 Public Key Cryptography: Sending Secrets on a Postcard |
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38 | (22) |
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5 Error-Correcting Codes: Mistakes That Fix Themselves |
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60 | (20) |
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6 Pattern Recognition: Leajrung from Experience |
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80 | (25) |
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7 Data Compression: Something for Nothing |
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105 | (17) |
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8 Databases: The Quest for Consistency |
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122 | (27) |
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9 Digital Signatures: Who Really Wrote This Software? |
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149 | (25) |
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174 | (25) |
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11 Conclusion: More Genius at Your Fingertips? |
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199 | (6) |
| Acknowledgments |
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205 | (2) |
| Sources and Further Reading |
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207 | (4) |
| Index |
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211 | |
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).
