http://www.aucegypt.edu/conferences/algebra/

So to multiply two numbers in computer code, you would write something like

Input x

Input y

Output=x*y

If you didn’t know that x could be any number and y could be any number, you would have to write the multiplication tables for every number you could think of, and wait a long time for the computer to search the data for the exact two numbers you wanted to multiply.

That’s a simple example, but the point is this: Algebra is the math that lets any letter substitute for a number — any number. A different letter can mean any other number. You can input any number for x, any number for y, any number for z, and tell the computer what to do with those numbers, however complicated the math is.

If you don’t know algebra, you can’t figure out what the computer should do with the numbers you want to fool around with.