An algorithm is any type of instruction list that tells someone how to do something step by step. This could be a recipe when you are trying to cook something for the first time, or the instructions for putting something you just bought together. Or it could be a set of steps you learn in a maths or science class in order to solve a certain type of problem.
For things like computers and robots, we have to assume these are not at all intelligent and no nothing - until we give them the information and instructions needed for a computer or robot to act correctly. The instructions we must give computers and robots must be very detailed, step by step, and thorough should the computer or robot act correctly and do the jobs we gave them in the form of an algorithm. The other name for this would be a computer program.
This activity can be done with no materials or supplies. The teacher or students can think of a basic job or task they do every day. It could be picking up a glass and putting it down somewhere else, or how to bend over and pick up a rock and throw the rock. Everyday things that humans simply do without thinking about the steps involved. But for a robot to do these same actions, it will not be able to unless we give it very detailed, step by step instructions.
Have students take some simple, everyday task, and then write out the steps they would give a robot to do that task. Have fun with this activity - either the teacher or another student can play the role of the robot in front of the class. The robot should do explicitly what an instruction tells it to do, and nothing more. It will not take long for the entire class to see if one step or instruction is not specific enough, the robot will not be able to do the task! This is a lot of fun for the class to do, and it shows the level of detail that must go into a computer program or a robot's memory if simple tasks or calculations are done correctly by machines.
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