Chapter 1: The Anatomy of an Algorithm

"Code that works is not enough. We need code that survives."

🏛️ The Academic Definition

In computer science, an algorithm is defined as a finite sequence of well-defined, computer-implementable instructions to solve a class of problems. It focuses on Correctness and Termination.

🏗️ The Engineering Reality

In production, an algorithm is a liability. It consumes memory, locks CPU cycles, and can crash the main thread.

In this chapter, we explore: 1. Strict Typing: Why def sort(data): is dangerous and def sort(data: List[int]) -> None: is essential. 2. Input Validation: Using Pydantic to reject malformed data before it touches your logic. 3. The Interface: Designing idempotent functions that are safe to retry.