specific. They still boil down to a list of step-by-step instructions, but these algorithms are almost always mathematical objects. They take a sequence of mathematical operations – using equations, arithmetic, algebra, calculus, logic and probability – and translate them into computer code. They are fed with data from the real world, given an objective and set to work crunching through the calculations to achieve their aim. They are what makes computer science an actual science, and in the process have fuelled many of the most miraculous modern achievements made by machines.
