Algorithms, or mathematical formulas, have been a part of most of our lives since grade school. But the emergence of "big data" in recent years, and more impactfully during the pandemic, has put algorithms in the spotlight of how we act and make decisions. Think how Netflix or Amazon or other streaming services suggest what movie we should watch.

University of Arizona Law Professor Derek Bambauer studied how large a role algorithms play in those decisions — and how often many of us would prefer to leave those choices to the numbers, rather than contemplating deeply and picking for ourselves.

The Show spoke with Bambauer to learn how "algorithm" became a more common term.

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