====== Preface ======
===== xiii and xiv =====

While the first two pages of Preface were brief, they were very informative. Algorithms have applications in an infinite number of fields. In fact, it was described in this chapter that algorithms are considered a "powerful lens" to view the field of Computer Science as a whole. This reading really clarified the definition of an algorithm and its applications. There are two main components to an algorithm. The first is the task of getting to the "core" of a problem in a "mathematically clean" manner. The second is to use the structure to help with designing the algorithm. These two components interact with one another in helping to build clean and efficient algorithms.