Algorithms For Dummies

Understanding why this book uses Python

Every computer language available today translates algorithms into a form that 

the computer can process. In fact, languages like ALGOL (ALGOrithmic Language) 

and FORTRAN (FORmula TRANslation) make this focus clear. Remember the defi-

nition of an algorithm from Chapter 1 as being a sequence of steps used to solve a 

problem. The method used to perform this translation differs by language, and the 

techniques used by some languages are quite arcane, requiring specialized knowl-

edge even to make an attempt.

Computers speak only one language, machine code (the 0s and 1s that a computer 

interprets to perform tasks), which is so incredibly hard for humans to speak that 

early developers created a huge array of alternatives. Computer languages exist to 

make  human  communication  with  computers  easier.  Consequently,  if  you  find 

yourself struggling to make anything work, perhaps you have the wrong lan-

guage. It’s always best to have more than one language at your fingertips so that 

you can perform computer communications with ease. Python happens to be one 

of the languages that works exceptionally well for people who work in disciplines 

outside application development.

Python is the vision of a single person, Guido van Rossum (see his home page at 

https://gvanrossum.github.io/

). You might be surprised to learn that Python 

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