The Art of Efficiency and Algorithms

 This week we covered concepts, like Big-O, searching, sorting, and trees. Having a little brush up made this weeks problems easier to solve.

Working through the word problems was a bit challenging, but also rewarding. It forced me to think about different possible approaches and carefully think about which ones were the most efficient. At first, some solutions seemed intuitive, but when I tested them, I realized they weren’t always the best or most optimal. It seems that problem solving in algorithms may sometimes involve moving past the obvious answer and considering strategies that are not as straightforward, but more effective. It’s important to balance intuition with logical analysis. I gained a deeper appreciation for how creative and analytical thinking work together to solve problems. 

I’m looking forward to the rest of this course because it reminds me of the balance I’ve always admired in music between technical skill and creativity. As a musician from an early age, I was fascinated by the contrast between Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Coltrane represented precision and he was a master of scales and chord transitions, while Miles often relied on instinct, famously saying, “I’ll play it first and tell you what it is later.” Yet, when they played together, their opposing styles blended into some of the most iconic pieces in jazz history. I feel this course will challenge me to combine both the technical side of algorithms with the creativity needed to apply them meaningful ways. Computer science is technical, but the solutions to its problems can be approached creatively.