One of the topics every computer science student learns is sorting algorithms: different mechanisms to put pieces of data in order. It is sometimes difficult to get students to understand the differences and nuances between algorithms. For instance, both insertion sort and bubble sort put things in order in roughly the same time, so why do we consider insertion sort better than bubble sort?
Visualizations are a great way to get this point across, but someone has taken this idea one step further and has come up with a way to make, in essence, sound maps for the different algorithms!
The post linked above also links to a heapsort sound map, and goes into a bit more detail about how the sounds were generated.
I think my favorite is bubble sort: it sounds like Pac-Man! In general, it’s neat how each sorting algorithm does in fact have its own sound. I will definitely use this the next time I teach sorting!
(h/t Jack Goldfeather for the link)
This is what a computer scientist looks like 