Algorithms for Dummies - Softcover

Mueller, John Paul; Massaron, Luca

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1119330491 ISBN 13: 9781119330493

Publisher: For Dummies, 2017

Synopsis

Discover how algorithms shape and impact our digital world

All data, big or small, starts with algorithms. Algorithms are mathematical equations that determine what we see—based on our likes, dislikes, queries, views, interests, relationships, and more—online. They are, in a sense, the electronic gatekeepers to our digital, as well as our physical, world. This book demystifies the subject of algorithms so you can understand how important they are business and scientific decision making.

Algorithms for Dummies is a clear and concise primer for everyday people who are interested in algorithms and how they impact our digital lives. Based on the fact that we already live in a world where algorithms are behind most of the technology we use, this book offers eye-opening information on the pervasiveness and importance of this mathematical science—how it plays out in our everyday digestion of news and entertainment, as well as in its influence on our social interactions and consumerism. Readers even learn how to program an algorithm using Python!

• Become well-versed in the major areas comprising algorithms
• Examine the incredible history behind algorithms
• Get familiar with real-world applications of problem-solving procedures
• Experience hands-on development of an algorithm from start to finish with Python

If you have a nagging curiosity about why an ad for that hammock you checked out on Amazon is appearing on your Facebook page, you'll find Algorithm for Dummies to be an enlightening introduction to this integral realm of math, science, and business.

About this title

From the Back Cover

• Relate algorithms to real-world uses
• Develop skills for using algorithms
• Learn to use Python® to test how algorithms work

Wrap your mind around algorithms

You don't need a PhD to make sense of algorithms. This clear and accessible guide shows you how algorithms influence our daily lives from online interactions to in-person exchanges. They are also extremely important when it comes to making decisions of all sorts. If you want to know how to use problem-solving procedures in the real world, Algorithms For Dummies is an enlightening introduction to this fascinating, pervasive realm.

Inside ...

• Perform data manipulation
• Consider algorithm design
• Learn the history of algorithms
• Grasp graph basics
• Manage big data
• Reduce complex algorithms
• Guide a robot in a maze
• Program your own algorithm

Visit the companion website at www.dummies.com/go/algorithmsfd to download all the source code for the examples in this book.

About the Author

John Paul Mueller has produced 102 books and more than 600 articles to date on topics ranging from networking to machine learning. Luca Massaron is a data scientist specializing in organizing and interpreting big data and transforming it into smart data by means of the simplest and most effective data mining and machine learning techniques.

Edition details

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1119330491
• ISBN 13: 9781119330493
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 418