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languages/why-does-5-3-give-53-in-javascript-type-coercion-step-by-step.md
Why does "5" + 3 give "53" in JavaScript? Type coercion, step by step
Why does `"5" + 3` give `"53"` while `"5" - 3` gives `2`? It is not random. JavaScript follows a short recipe called type coercion: it…
infrastructure/what-is-a-load-balancer-one-web-address-many-servers.md
What is a load balancer? One web address, many servers
When you open a popular website you type one address, yet many servers stand behind it. Something has to decide which one answers you. That…
computer-science/hash-tables-how-python-finds-a-key-without-searching-for-it.md
Hash tables: how Python finds a key without searching for it
You type `ages["cat"]` and Python answers instantly, even with a million entries. It does not search. It calculates where "cat" must be…
languages/why-does-0-1-0-2-give-0-30000000000000004-in-python.md
Why does 0.1 + 0.2 give 0.30000000000000004 in Python?
Type 0.1 + 0.2 into Python and you get 0.30000000000000004. It is not a bug: computers store fractions in binary, and one tenth has no…
infrastructure/what-is-ci-the-robot-that-tests-your-code-every-time-you-push.md
What is CI? The robot that tests your code every time you push
You change one line, it looks fine, and two days later something far away breaks. Continuous integration (CI) is a robot that prevents…
computer-science/what-is-an-algorithm-watch-two-recipes-race-to-sort-six-bars.md
What Is an Algorithm? Watch Two Recipes Race to Sort Six Bars
An algorithm is a recipe so precise that someone who doesn't understand the goal could still follow it and get the right answer. Computers…
infrastructure/what-is-a-server-really-a-computer-that-waits-for-questions.md
What is a server, really? A computer that waits for questions
A server isn't a special kind of machine. It's an ordinary computer running a program that waits for someone to ask for something, then…
mobile/native-web-or-cross-platform-how-apps-get-from-your-code-to-a-phone.md
Native, web or cross-platform? How apps get from your code to a phone
Every app idea hits the same fork in the road. Build it native in Swift for iPhone and Kotlin for Android, build it for the web with HTML…
computer-science/linear-vs-binary-search-why-30-guesses-can-beat-a-billion.md
Linear vs binary search: why 30 guesses can beat a billion
Need to find one item in a list? You can check every item in turn (linear search), or, if the list is sorted, look at the middle and throw…
networks/how-does-example-com-turn-into-an-ip-address-dns-step-by-step.md
How does example.com turn into an IP address? DNS, step by step
Computers find each other by number, not by name. Before your browser can load example.com, it has to find the site's IP address, and…
ai/how-a-chatbot-writes-one-guessed-word-at-a-time.md
How a chatbot writes: one guessed word at a time
A chatbot doesn't plan its reply and then type it out. It repeats one small step: look at the text so far, give every possible next token…
computers/counting-with-only-0-and-1-how-computers-store-numbers-and-letters.md
Counting with Only 0 and 1: How Computers Store Numbers and Letters
Every photo, message and web page on your computer is stored as numbers written with just two digits: 0 and 1. That's binary, and it works…