An algorithm, drawn by a 28-year-old female PHD student in agriculture in Switzerland.

What are you drawing? It's a gear wheel, because okay, so it's not round, so it doesn't really matter. Um... because the cog is actually a good visual representation of an algorithm, because if you put the cog that goes in there and okay... that looks a little bit [swear word]. [both laugh] Whatever. It doesn't matter, it's not about how nice it looks. I know what you mean. So there's like a second gear, and then say we have it here. That's the way it goes down. Because it's actually always a repetition and it works on a certain system, let's say. So I have to finish marking it out right now. We have different gears. So this long gear that you are drawing right now, that's kind of an assembly line? Exactly, let's say we have an assembly line here, we have gear number one, [repeats the word one several times] we have gear number two. Okay Then we have the tape, which is number three. Then we have... Here it has a kind of, let's say, a tic and, uh, and say... [Crosstalk] And that's what's driving things up again? Let's call it a ball and then, because that's what makes it spin, so maybe it needs a little more, like this. So the turnstile? Yes, a turnstile and then the ball falls down, like this - jag-jag-jag-jag- and then when the ball falls down here, then it has this... um... Stones, let's say that it hits... The ball falls down here, then it hits the stone and the ball falls down here. Here. So you have already drawn a relatively complex system, where do you see the algorithm? Well, actually you started with the gears. Right, so that's basically a system and it works... There's almost always, it always comes back. It's a cycle? Yeah, it's a cycle, and it kind of works because... It represents the algorithm in the sense that a process... You can't say that the system works by [that just] turning one wheel. The system works by turning wheel 1, which indicates wheel 2, wheel 2 indicates wheel 3 and so on. And so it keeps coming back and it's actually... I... German... Couldn't I just... A pattern, yes a like a pattern [uses english term] how certain systems worked. For example an algorithm in nature, then the gears, would then not be gears, but maybe one species and another species and the weather for example and then the algorithm for a certain, for the occurrence of a certain, let's say species, or an event is then quasi controlled by the various factors that are integrated in the system. Okay And this... is uh... Closed off? Exactly and the cycle, the functioning of the cycle is I think, is actually well represented I would say Good. Thanks a lot. Now, I have one follow-up question: Can you remember where you first heard about algorithms, in what context? Um... I would say Facebook. Yes Um... Yeah, not that I even remotely knew what that was, but I would say it was through the media when it came to Facebook. And do you remember what Facebook was, what the algorithm was or what the context was? No, I don't... Okay, let's go back to the drawing for a second. Um, you first recorded a mathematical formula, how did you get from that to your visualization? um... Yeah, because it's actually translating one into the other. From the mathematical [Crosstalk] By logic? Right, you have algo- An algorithm for me is actually always something mathematical Okay But basically, you can record this with a little bit of effort. For example, say the algorithm would be... Should I go on? As you like. Okay, I'll make it quick. Let's say X - that would be the outcome, that would be the event, so to speak, yes - and then let's say we have three X's here. Logically, an algorithm looks different, but I'll just give it as it is. Three x plus or three A plus seven B through E to the power of something - 2 - or so. Then, so to speak, A is gear number 1 and that leads one, has a certain influence on the result in some way. While B, which would be gear number 2, also has an influence on the result but in a different way because it is a fraction, while gear number 1 is a multiplication. Okay And so you could say the different forms in the formula has a certain nature, has a certain shape in the gear wheel, that's how I imagined it. Good, then I stop the recording here.