Entertaining algorithms. What do the stories of famous heroes teach us

Have you always thought that an algorithm is something from the world of untidy hackers, illuminated by screens in dim rooms full of computers? That this is something "out of this world", for an ordinary person beyond understanding? You are inexcusably mistaken. This is probably one of the greatest misconceptions of our time — especially incomprehensible in light of the fact that humanity has long been thoroughly familiar with algorithms. After reading the book, you will be convinced of this. The book uses an unusual approach to the presentation of algorithms — using literary works and films. Have you ever thought about the fact that Hansel and Gretel, returning home along a chain of pebbles, use a simple algorithm with linear running time? That Sherlock Holmes, investigating another case, deals with data structures — a list of suspects, a family tree, a queue with the priorities of the victim's heirs? That Indiana Jones repeatedly has to deal with sorting and searching? That the events in the movie "Groundhog Day" are, in fact, a cycle, and in the movie "Back to the Future" — a recursion? Here is a book on the basics of computer science and algorithms — but a book in which literary works and films familiar to most of us are used to illustrate certain concepts, which makes the already fascinating topic of computer science, algorithms and computing even more interesting and fascinating.