The Great Mental Models Volume 3: Systems and Mathematics

by Rhiannon Beaubien

three defining characteristics of algorithms: Substrate neutrality: “The power of the procedure is due to its logical structure, not the causal powers of the materials used in the instantiation.”3 It doesn’t matter whether you read your recipe on a phone or a book; neither has impact on the logic of the algorithm. Underlying mindlessness: “Each constituent step, and the transition between steps, is utterly simple.”4 For a recipe to be an algorithm, it must tell you the amounts of each ingredient you need as well as walk you through the process in steps so clear that there is no room for interpretation or misunderstanding. Guaranteed results: “Whatever it is that an algorithm does, it always does it if it is executed without misstep. An algorithm is a foolproof recipe.”5 Using a good algorithm, the cake will look and taste the same every time.