An algorithm specifies a series of steps that perform a particular calculation or task. Algorithms were originally born as part of mathematics. In this article, I will explain how to build algorithms with the Python programming language.
What are Algorithms?
Algorithms are like recipes. Recipes tell you how to accomplish a task by completing several steps. For example, to bake a cake, the steps are as follows: preheat the oven; mix the flour, sugar and eggs well; pour into a baking dish; And so on.
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An algorithm is a process of steps that specifies what needs to be implemented. Most algorithms are guaranteed to produce an accurate result. Suppose we want to build an algorithm to return the largest number, then it is a rare case if an algorithm does not return the largest number 99% of the time, but 1% of the time, the algorithm fails and returns the smallest number which is a rare case.
The study of algorithms is a fundamental part of computer science. There are some characteristics of an algorithm that you should know:
- Is there an algorithm to perform a given task?
- If someone comes up with an algorithm to solve a task, are we sure the algorithm works for all possible inputs?
- How long does it take for the algorithm to run? How much memory did you need?
- Once we know that it is possible to solve a problem with an algorithm, a natural question is whether the algorithm is the best it can be. Can the problem be solved faster?
How To Build Algorithms with Python?
Now in this section, I will take you through how to build algorithms with Python. Suppose we want to build an algorithm to find the larget number what steps you should follow? We just need to frame some steps and those steps will become our algorithm.
So the steps I will follow to find the maximum number are:
- We first need to set a variable max to 0.
- Then For each number in the list, we need to compare it to the value of max. If x is larger than x we need to set max to x.
With these two steps, max will become the largest number in the list. This is what an algorithm is. Now let’s see how to implement this algorithm with Python:
This is how we can build algorithms with Python, just start with writing steps and try to follow them using your coding skills. I hope you liked this article on how to build algorithms with Python. Feel free to ask your valuable questions in the comments section below.
