Richard Feynman Computer Science Lecture - Hardware, Software and Heuristics
Overview
A lecture by Richard Feynman on how computers work, using the analogy of a filing clerk that becomes progressively dumber and faster. It also covers heuristics and how computers handle data and solve problems in finite time.
On Hacker News
Frequently recommended as the clearest plain-language explanation of what a computer fundamentally is, with at least one commenter saying it changed how they think about programming.
Topics
Sources
Video by Muon Ray, played through YouTube.
Data and selection notes
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Selection checks
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What people said