Final answer:
An algorithm is a set of step-by-step instructions that a program follows to complete a specific task, similar to a recipe. Algorithms are used in various aspects of technology, such as in search engines and social media feeds, to organize data and produce expected outcomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
An algorithm is a step-by-step set of instructions designed to perform a specific task or solve a particular problem. When one of the algorithms in a program functions, it follows a similar process to cooking from a recipe book. For instance, if you have a program with an algorithm designed to sort a list of numbers, the algorithm works by comparing each number with the others, determining their order, and rearranging them step-by-step until they are sorted from smallest to largest.
Algorithms are everywhere, from the search engines that order your online search results to social media feeds that determine which posts appear. They function as the logical backbone to software, ensuring that computer programs perform tasks in an efficient and predictable manner. By working through a problem analytically or computationally, similar to how one would Work It Out in a math problem, algorithms help us derive solutions in a logical and systematic way.