#algorithmic thinking

In 2011, an unexpected solicitation to become Vice President of the Raad van State—the Netherlands’ highest advisory body—sparked a seismic shift. What followed was not merely a media campaign, but a cultural ripple effect that would come to redefine the boundaries between governance, artistry, and information architecture. Since that moment, every movement has been made in defiance of creative…

Today I had the pleasure of learning about Sorting Algorithms.

Sorting algorithms rearrange elements in an array or list in order. Below are a few algorithms that perform that function differently.

Bubble Sort

Selection Sort

Insertion Sort

Merge Sort

Quick Sort

Bubble Sort repeatedly compares adjacent elements and swaps them if they're in the wrong order, continuing until the array is sorted. While simple to implement, it's inefficient for large or heavily unsorted lists due to its element-by-element approach.

Selection Sort repeatedly finds the minimum element from the unsorted portion and places it at the beginning of the array. While straightforward, it performs poorly on large or heavily unsorted lists due to its repeated scanning of the array.

Insertion Sort builds a sorted array one element at a time by taking each element and placing it in its correct position among previously sorted elements. While simple, it's inefficient for large or heavily unsorted lists.

MergeSort is a divide-and-conquer algorithm that recursively splits an array in half, sorts each half, and then merges them back together. It's stable and efficient, performing well on large datasets compared to simpler sorting methods.

QuickSort selects a pivot element and partitions data around it, placing smaller values on one side and larger ones on the other. It recursively applies this process to each partition until the array is sorted. Though generally efficient, it may slow down with large unordered datasets.

I spent the day learning about search algorithms and their various uses.

Searching algorithms support the following activities:

Determining the fastest route based on geographic position

Searching for anything via a search engine

Finding anything in a database

The question is how does an actual search algorithm work. The answer lies in understanding binary trees.

A binary tree is simply a tree. There is a root, and nodes that are connected like branches. The nodes store data that can be accessed at any time (depending on the design).

Now, how does one obtain the data in the tree? You need to climb the tree, or in computer speak, traverse the tree. Time to implement some algorithms and solve some problems.

Of the algorithms that exist, -

Linear Search

Binary Search 🔍

Breadth First Search

Depth First Search

BFS and DFS, are leveraged more often than their counterparts, linear and binary search. Partly, due to the time and space complexity involved in executing these functions, as the input parameter grows ( e.g., the difference between a small tree and a massive tree ).

Use Computer Programming as a Creative Discipline

One of the most exciting ways to learn to program is through authoring your own creative programs. Known as “creative coding,” this growing field uses computer software as a medium to develop original creative expression.

So if you’re an artist, designer, architect or musician who’s interested in how you can expand your creative skills, or even a computer programmer looking to work in creative…

Use Computer Programming as a Creative Discipline

One of the most exciting ways to learn to program is through authoring your own creative programs. Known as “creative coding,” this growing field uses computer software as a medium to develop original creative expression.

So if you’re an artist, designer, architect or musician who’s interested in how you can expand your creative skills, or even a computer programmer looking to work in creative…

Use Computer Programming as a Creative Discipline

One of the most exciting ways to learn to program is through authoring your own creative programs. Known as “creative coding,” this growing field uses computer software as a medium to develop original creative expression.

So if you’re an artist, designer, architect or musician who’s interested in how you can expand your creative skills, or even a computer programmer looking to work in creative…