Algorithm - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
At the moment this concept seems important to me. It seems the the symbols of logic and math are manipulated according to flexible but precisely defined algorithms. And that the symbols often represent algorithms.
It seems to me that positional notation is an algorithm for translating any base into Unary.
Unary numeral system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
We are used to the decimal system and perhaps for lower numbers this "translation" is automatic. But do we not experience number in a concrete sense as unary? Of course as soon as we count, as even children can, we move beyond that.
Also I look at math symbols as algorthms. For instance, multiplication is a short-hand algorithm for repeated addition, and exponentiation (especially in simpler cases) is just repeated multiplication. (To oversimplify?) Can math be boiled down to one operation, one essential number concept? Obviously, the system has been richly developed, but what is it at its core?
I'm also interested in algorithm as it relates to computer programming. Has anyone else messed with programming? Behind the contingent syntax lurks the logical algorithm. At the moment, precise algorithm fascinates me. And so I attempt to fire up a conversation on the matter...