This Episode "Writing and following algorithms," focuses on fundamental concepts in computer science related to algorithms. It begins by defining an algorithm as a finite set of instructions to solve a problem and provides real-world examples of their application, such as routing and data encryption. The document then outlines the characteristics of an effective algorithm, emphasizing clarity, correctness, efficiency, and understandability. It introduces pseudocode as a language-agnostic tool for algorithm design and explains common sorting and searching algorithms, including bubble sort, linear search, and binary search. Finally, the episode offers advice on writing "good" programs through documentation and modularity, and introduces trace tables as a method for evaluating and debugging algorithms.