How Algorithms Change The World As We Know It [Infographic]

When you think of all the things that have impacted our lives over the years, do you ever think of all the algorithms that have been implemented around us? The word algorithm is one of those scary words that seems complicated, but it isn’t. It’s just the step-by-step procedure for a calculation. Algorithms are definitely one of the things that change the world on a daily basis. We wouldn’t have operating systems, the Internet, Google, or the infamous clock that synchronized all the clocks on the Internet without algorithms.

Writing code for algorithms is a something that coders and programmers do on a daily basis. Reading this infographic made me laugh because there is someone I know (you probably know who I’m talking about) who can put together any algorithm you can think of. He is brilliant when it comes to coding, and we always joke about the algorithms of life.

What if there was an algorithm you could inject into your brain that would guarantee you success? How about an algorithm that would keep your significant other happy at all times? I could go on and on. I’d like to think we can keep the algorithms out of our bodies for now. After all, you can’t determine the output of a life situation by using an algorithm…yet. Or, can we? We know algorithms can change the world on the outside of us, but how about on the inside?

This infographic called How Algorithms Changed The World by collegedegreesearch.net goes into some of the most profound algorithms that have changed the world, and continue to change the world on a daily basis. At the bottom you’ll see Dave Mills, from the University of Delaware, who was the person who wrote the algorithm to synchronize all the clocks online. That is definitely one algorithm I’ve taken for granted over the years. Right now I’m about to implement an algorithm that I’m all too familiar with. That is…drink more coffee to feel more alert. It’s a basic algorithm that works every time.