Amazon Algorithms

Question 1

All algorithms solve a _______.

Answer 1

problem

Question 2

_________ are little more than a series of step by step instructions.

Answer 2

algorithms

Question 3

The essence of a really good algorithm is _________.

Answer 3

mathematics

Question 4

The best algorithms are those that tap into the _______ mathematical structure hiding beneath a problem.

Answer 4

underlying

Question 5

Algorithms are extremely old; they _______ computers by thousands of years.

Answer 5

predate

Question 6

The _____ algorithm we know of was devised to solve a mathematical problem.

Answer 6

oldest

Question 7

The oldest algorithm we know of was first written down by the ancient Greek mathematician ____.

Answer 7

Euclid

Question 8

Euclid’s algorithm is a method for finding the greatest common _____.

Answer 8

divisor

Question 9

The greatest common divisor is the largest number that will divide into a pair of other numbers without leaving a _______. For ex., 4 divides in both 8 and 12 without a ______.

Answer 9

remainder remainder

Question 10

What are the 3 criteria that all algorithms have?

Answer 10

a precisely stated set of instructions, a procedure that always finishes, can be proven to work in all cases of the problem its solving

Question 11

An algorithm is a _______ stated set of instructions.

Answer 11

precisely

Question 12

The procedure of an algorithm always ______.

Answer 12

finishes

Question 13

An algorithm must be ______ to work in all cases of the problem it’s solving.

Answer 13

proven

Question 14

________ an algorithm requires creativity and genius but using them is just a matter of following instructions.

Answer 14

inventing

Question 15

Computer code is basically making an algorithm _______; the algorithm is the _____ for how you would solve the problem, the rough instructions that you would use, and that can be translated into particular code.

Answer 15

specific idea

Question 16

Some of the most important algorithms are ______ algorithms.

Answer 16

sorting

Question 17

Sorting algorithms put things in _____. For ex., on the internet information gets broken down into packets of data, which then get sent across the web. To reassemble that data, sorting algorithms are absolutely crucial to putting this data back in the ______ _____ so that we can view the picture or read the email we’ve just been sent.

Answer 17

order correct order

Question 18

There are over __ different types of sorting algorithms (Bubble sort, Merge sort, Insertion sort, Heap sort, Quick sort, Time sort, Gnome sort, Pigeonhole sort or Radix sort, Bogosort, etc); they all achieve the same result by _________ means.

Answer 18

20 different

Question 19

Each sorting algorithm has its ____ and ____; which one to use often depends on the ________ of the problem.

Answer 19

pros cons specifics

Question 20

______ websites use a matching algorithm.

Answer 20

dating

Question 21

The ______ ______ algorithm (also known as the stable marriage algorithm) is a _________ algorithm and is being used all over the world for things like matching children to day care places, or students to schools, or to allocate rabbis to synagogues.

Answer 21

Gayle Shapley matching

Question 22

In the UK a ______ algorithm is used to match organ donors and recipients.

Answer 22

matching

Question 23

The important features of a good algorithm is it being fast and correct; ______!

Answer 23

efficient

Question 24

It’s a common ___________ that algorithms can do anything; some problems simply ______ be solved by efficient algorithms.

Answer 24

misconception cannot

Question 25

There is no efficient algorithm for the ______ _______ problem yet!

Answer 25

traveling salesman

Question 26

The traveling salesman problem applies to lots of ____; from soldering circuit boards to planning supermarket delivery routes, etc.

Answer 26

areas

Question 27

A _______ approach to an algorithm means an algorithm that is efficient that doesn’t find the perfect solution but gets as close as it can.

Answer 27

heuristic

Question 28

The ______ _______ algorithm uses the heuristic approach by trying to predict what order the aircraft are going to take off in; if it knows what order they can take off in, then it can work backward and say “if it needs to take off at this time, then it needs to enter the runway queue at this time, then it needs to finish its taxi at this time, therefore it needs to start its taxi operation at this time, in that case, it needs to finish its pushback at this time, so it needs to start its pushback by this time”— and it can work all the way back from what time it should take off to what time it should start pushing back.

Answer 28

Heathrow Sequencing

Question 29

The __________ of the Heathrow Sequencing algorithm is given to air traffic control through the airport’s internal computer system, and displays to the pilot at the gate the __________ pushback time (or what time he’s expected to take off).

Answer 29

output recommended

Question 30

The biggest benefit of the Heathrow Sequencing algorithm is that you can ____ aircraft from starting engines for _________ which saves on fuel without them taking off any later so there’s no delay for passengers.

Answer 30

hold longer

Question 31

The Heathrow Sequencing algorithm is not finding the absolute ______ solution all the time but it makes the controllers’ jobs of launching aircraft a lot easier.

Answer 31

perfect

Question 32

Heuristic means involving or serving as an aid to learning, discovery, or problem-solving by experimental and especially ____________ methods.

Answer 32

trial-and-error

Question 33

Heuristic means of or relating to exploratory problem-solving techniques that utilize ________________ techniques (such as the evaluation of feedback) to improve performance.

Answer 33

self-educating

Question 34

The connect skeletal tracking algorithm at Microsoft writes itself using _______ _______; it was designed for Kinect on Xbox.

Answer 34

machine learning

Question 35

The connect skeletal tracking algorithm was shown millions of training images of bodies in different poses and of various shapes and sizes, and from this, the algorithm essentially learned by example, devising its ___ ____.

Answer 35

own rules

Question 36

The designers of the connect skeletal tracking algorithm didn’t program the algorithm, they designed the training ____ ___ to capture all of the kind of variations that they expected to see when the system was deployed.

Answer 36

data set

Question 37

__________ algorithms can monitor and replenish the stock of products and ___________ customer demand.

Answer 37

forecasting anticipate

Question 38

______ ______ algorithms can manage the traffic of more than 7000 crates in a warehouse.

Answer 38

control system

Question 39

____ _____ algorithms can control the movement of a fleet of over 1500 vans testing over four million different route combinations every second.

Answer 39

van routing