Re:A 37-year-old wanting to learn computer science
by raddan on Sunday July 06, 2025 @08:11AM
(#44480060)
Non-algorithmically, using intuition, like a (non-programmer) human.
Re:A 37-year-old wanting to learn computer science
by danans on Tuesday July 08, 2025 @11:09PM
(#44506032)
But is it a computational problem then?
Re:A 37-year-old wanting to learn computer science
by raddan on Wednesday July 09, 2025 @03:07PM
(#44513712)
Try doing a calculus problem. E.g., integration. Even if you do it on paper, your approach is probably wildly different than a computer integration algorithm. An algorithm that does it symbolically, ala Mathematica, is a pretty difficult thing to write for an arbitrary mathematical expression. People solve those problems largely through intuition, with a sprinkling of procedures that they remember.
Re:A 37-year-old wanting to learn computer science
by danans on Thursday July 10, 2025 @11:04AM
(#44521893)
> People solve those problems largely through intuition, with a sprinkling of procedures that they remember.
Without making the claim that LLMs have intuition (and certainly not inspiration), what you describe sounds analogous to an LLM with function calling.
How would one solve a computational problem non-mechanistically? Even if executed with pen and paper, or sticks scribbling on sand, any algorithm is still mechanistic.