From Al-Khwarizmi to Facebook: The Evolution and Importance of Algorithms in Our Daily Lives

Until recently, the word “algorithm” remained a term associated with mathematics and computer sciences, and was foreign to the public, but the word has become more widespread and used in daily life in recent years, and scientific reports and newsletters have become full of words such as “algorithmic bias” and “Facebook algorithms”. and “algorithmic efficiency” down to the claim that “algorithms rule the world”. Given the importance of algorithms in our daily lives, in this article we take a quick look at what they are and how they evolved, with a special focus on the pivotal role that Al-Khwarizmi played in their creation. What is the Algorithm? Simply put, an algorithm is a set of instructions that are followed in order to complete a specific task.