Discussions

Natural languages (English, Russian, French, etc.) is a main tool for communication between people. A person who visits a foreign country without knowing it's language is just helpless. He may use drawings (pictography writing) or gestures language, but it doesn't change the situation much. A baby easily and quickly learns to speak and then to read and write. Being just several months old, he begins to understand the speech. And, often we even don't realize how difficult it could be to follow us for a person for whom our language is a foreign one. "Formal" understanding of some phrases and words may be just ridiculous and electronic translators (computer applications) can give us a lot of such examples.

Why it can be so? Can you think of some examples of that kind? Have you ever been in a situation, when you behaved wrong because of misinterpretation of some words?

Without going into details, we say that algorithm is a set of instructions which are to solve a problem.

A man often fulfils algorithms. It happens when he cooks meal following a recipe's instructions, makes a telephone call from a street booth, looks for a friend's home, following the given instructions, etc. A man rarely fulfils algorithm formally. Even in cases when he strictly follows the instructions, in many respects he relays on the common sense. Imagine, that he is told to go straight ahead along a crowded street and not to turn anywhere. Do you think he'll be crushing everything and everybody on his way?

There are some funny stories about what could happen if your questions and requests are formally responded.

- Could you please tell me, how can I get to a library?
- Yes, I could.
... and went away.

A man comes up to a road and stops a car. - Excuse me, is it far to Tallinn?
- Oh no, it is quite near.
- May I go with you?
- Surely, take a seat here.

The men drive and drive and drive. The traveller became anxious.

- Excuse me please... And now, is it far to Tallinn?
- Oh yes! Now it is very far!

Let's hope, that such cases are rare ones.

Unlike a man, robots fulfil algorithms formally, just as they are told.

Imagine, that you have to write two algorithms - one for a man and the other for a robot. What will be the differences in those algorithms? Will the algorithm for a more experienced person be different from the one for a less experienced? If it is so, in which way?