Don Knuth on how he learned programming through machines and number-crunching, why cognitive style matters for which computing paradigm fits you, and why algorithmic progress happens slowly, over years, through many small contributions rather than single breakthroughs.
How to crunch numbers, how to calculate these things, or to make these pictures with a machine. And then I learned the program because I was so driven by the idea of it. It was the other way around. I happened to be good at programming because of the peculiarit. And then my good luck was that other people needed this skill so I could do it. But if the computers had been different, analog or something, I wouldn't have ever taken a second look because I don't think that way. So these moleculars also maybe just are just different enough for my own competence that I'm reacting. And so maybe another kind of person will arise and be just the ticket for.
You've taught a lot of programmers how to program. What's your favorite algorithm? To teach somebody?
Oh, no, no, I can't. You know, you ask somebody who's.
Which.
Of their children is their favorite. You know, I don't like this idea of top 10 ranking. Pretty much each one has its own, and the whole field is based on lots of thousands of people contributing in their own way.
And at the end of every year.
I don't know how much time you have, but I remember I was in the 60s, I was having a discussion with the chair of Cornell's computer science department, and he said, okay, Don, what was the best algorithm invented this year? You know, or last? And I sat there and I couldn't think of anyone that was particularly great, but I thought it was a great question. So every year afterward, I sort of asked myself, what was the algorithm of the year? And I never could think of. I never could come up with one. On the other hand, every five years, the whole field changes. And the reason is that there are lots of little ones that are all contributing. So it's like the Wall of China is built out of stones, little stones. It's. It's not just milestones or whatever, not just one or two people who are coming with big breakthroughs. It's the massing of the whole, of the whole thing. And so many people contribute.
Very cool. Well, thank you so much for spending a little bit of time in the New Revolutions exhibit. It's a wonderful exhibit. Highly recommend everybody visit it.
Yeah.
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