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| Authored by: PolR on Sunday, October 14 2012 @ 11:41 PM EDT |
No. The mathematical requirements for an algorithm to be an algorithm ensure it
must be machine executable. Some procedures executable by humans are not
algorithms in the mathematical sense of the word. They are not machine
executable either.
[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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| Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, October 15 2012 @ 01:16 PM EDT |
Its true that you can execute any mathematical algorithm with pencil and paper
(and lots of free time)...
But that's not what that sentence is about.
The requirement that the algorithm be "machine executable" is a way of
saying "you must be able to execute the algorithm mechanically, by just
following the steps and manipulating the symbols the way those steps say".
You're not allowed to use any human judgement or intuition while doing this
process--you must strictly follow the rules. You're not allowed to use the
_meanings_ you have associated with those symbols, when deciding how to
manipulate the symbols.
As we know, machines can't really do those things. They don't have intuition,
they don't have human judgement. They don't know the real-world context and the
human meanings we have associated with the symbols. They only do the math part:
manipulating the symbols according to a strictly-defined set of rules (the
algorithm being executed).
Thats what "must be machine executable" means.[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]
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