Le pouvoir des algorithmes

While the term algorithm has become familiar to us, it encompasses notions that can sometimes be opaque. Strictly speaking, their theoretical definition is surprisingly simple... but their scope is immense, and we are far from having explored all their complexity.

We are all familiar with numerous algorithms, used again and again often without realizing it. Confronted with a series of simple problems, ranging from school arithmetic to finding an optimal route, discover our ability to design and understand the workings of powerful algorithms. No need to be a computer scientist!

And to go further, exploring the landscape of algorithms can lead us toward many strange mathematical objects: uncomputable numbers (in practice or even in principle!), ancient mathematical enigmas still defying all analysis, and philosophical paradoxes that founded modern mathematics.