This one hopes to prevent the overload from happening. It determines the max. amount of data a network can handle. It starts by only sending one package of data. Then, if this is fine, it sends double the amount. It continues this process until it reaches the point of overload.

This can b...

Finally, the merge sort method involves dividing everything into multiple piles. Each pile should be sorted from A to Z. Then, these piles should be merged. 

The authors describe three algorithms, specifically:

1. Bubble Sort

This algorithm is the least efficient. With this method, you organize one pair at a time. Then, you repeat this process over and over until everything is sorted...

The insertion sort method is far more efficient if you have to sort a substantial amount of items. If you consider the book analogy again, the insertion sort method would involve taking all the books off the shelf. Then, placing them back one-by-one, ensuring that the books are placed in the corr...

The authors of this book suggest that the Optimal Stopping Algorithm is the solution to this. If there are 100 options, this algorithm will state that you should look at the first 37 without taking any of them. Use these first 37 as a standard. Subsequently, whichever item meets these standards s...

Finally, the merge sort method involves dividing everything into multiple piles. Each pile should be sorted from A to Z. Then, these piles should be merged. 

The authors advise you avoid priority inversion at all costs. Priority Inversion is when you focus on too many small tasks, and none of them end up getting done. You should be aiming to solely focus on one task at a time rather than multitasking.

Predicting probable outcomes is viable when using the correct algorithms. 

Predicting probable outcomes based on algorithms dates back to 18th century England. Reverend Thomas Bayes developed a simple way of predicting future outcomes. The authors of this book apply Bayes’ theorem to lotte...

This was the first method created. This solution involved sending multiple messengers with the hope that one would slip through undetected. However, sending too many messengers can lead to an overload. With regard to computers, this would be a server overload.

As long as a set of finite steps are followed, then anything can be an algorithm. For example, a recipe is a type of algorithm. It involves a series of instructions to obtain the desired result. Writing up a list of pros and cons for doing something is an Intuitive Algorithm. 

We might cons...

Data overload is often considered in relation to a classic thought experiment. In this thought experiment, two generals are preparing to launch a joint attack on a city. This city is located in a fortified valley. These generals are on the two hills either side of the valley. So, the only way the...

As with many things, the more information you have, the more precise you will be. One method that utilizes vast amounts of information to predict future outcomes is the phenomenon’s distribution pattern. Other names for this distribution are the normal distribution or bell curve. If something is ...

If a server overload is created, then exponential back-off is a method that should work. Instead of frantically hitting refresh, you could wait a few minutes for the traffic to ease. The exponential part relates to how long you wait between refreshes. The authors suggest waiting twice as long eac...

As well as advising us on when we should stop searching, algorithms can also tell us when to explore something new. In the book, the authors give the example of a slot machine. Some people will just sit at the machine until they win. However, there is always a thought in people’s minds whether th...

As well as telling us how to conduct a task step-by-step, algorithms can tell us when to stop doing a task. As humans, we struggle to know when to stop searching for something. Additionally, we have cognitive biases that impact our choices when searching. 

Scheduling our lives can be highly complex and is often a daily challenge. As well as work demands, multiple other life demands make fitting everything difficult. However, some algorithms can help improve how you schedule your life. 

• The Earliest Due Date Algorithm – A straig...

Most people associate algorithms with computers and other forms of technology. However, the word actually dates back to the ninth century. The Persian mathematician, Muhammad Al-Khwarizmi, is the first person to use the word ‘algorithm.’ However, the use of concepts like algorithms dates back to ...

Complicated scenarios often require complex algorithms to fully understand what is happening. However, algorithms are limited in the complexity with which they can be applied. The issue is that, when predicting something complex, you will be tempted to add variables until the algorithm can fully ...

The authors of this book explain that organized chaos can be fine. As long as you know where everything is, you will be productive. However, if your filing system is not efficiently organized, there are algorithms to improve your organization. 

One strategy often used by gamblers is to stay if they are winning and shift if they are losing. However, this isn’t a logical way of choosing when to explore something new. Alternatively, a better method is to use the Upper Confidence Bound Algorithm.

Here are the steps to this algorithm, applied to gambling machines:

1. Find a machine that offers the best expected value. In this case, it is the machine with the biggest jackpot as you are unaware of probabilities.
2. While playing, make sure that you keep track of the real outcome...

Algorithms to Live By offers shortcuts and hacks to help streamline your life. Algorithms are inserted into computers and other forms of technology to solve problems. However, there is no reason that we cannot use algorithms in our everyday liv...