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Cover of Algorithms to Live By: What Computers Can Teach Us About Solving Human Problems by Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths

Book · Non-fiction, memoir and self-help

Algorithms to Live By: What Computers Can Teach Us About Solving Human Problems

by Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths

Page count, estimated reading time and reading quiz: everything to know before you start Algorithms to Live By: What Computers Can Teach Us About Solving Human Problems, and the Vread challenge to get to the end.

Pages
368
Reading time
≈ 6 h 40 min
Checkpoints
15
Genre
Non-fiction
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How long does it take to read Algorithms to Live By: What Computers Can Teach Us About Solving Human Problems?

At 368 pages, Algorithms to Live By: What Computers Can Teach Us About Solving Human Problems is a fairly long book. Expect about 6 hours 40 minutes of reading to finish it, based on 250 words per page and an average reading speed of 230 words per minute. A fast reader will go quicker; a careful read (or reading in a second language) will take longer.

At 30 minutes a day, that is about 14 days of reading. At the median pace of Vread readers, 72 pages per reading day, it takes 6 reading days. For a book of this length (250 to 399 pages), Vread readers who finish it take a median of 4.7 days between the first and the last checkpoint (Vread Reading Barometer 2026).

Reading days to finish it
30 minutes a day14 days
Vread median pace (72 pp./day)6 days

Estimates; see the method at the bottom of the page.

Prove you read it

The Vread challenge: 15 checkpoints

  1. Checkpoint 1, page 25
  2. Checkpoint 2, page 49
  3. Checkpoint 3, page 74
  4. Checkpoint 4, page 98
  5. Checkpoint 5, page 123
  6. Checkpoint 6, page 147
  7. Checkpoint 7, page 172
  8. Checkpoint 8, page 196
  9. Checkpoint 9, page 221
  10. Checkpoint 10, page 245
  11. Checkpoint 11, page 270
  12. Checkpoint 12, page 294
  13. Checkpoint 13, page 319
  14. Checkpoint 14, page 343
  15. Checkpoint 15, page 368

In Vread, Algorithms to Live By: What Computers Can Teach Us About Solving Human Problems is split into 15 checkpoints, one every 25 pages or so. At each checkpoint, a question covers the passage you have just read: a correct answer validates the step, and your progress moves forward like a training plan.

The challenge: validate all 15 checkpoints through to the last page. No giant quiz at the end, no summary to copy out: short questions along the way that prove the book was actually read. It also works as a reading quiz to check your understanding before a test.

Also available in French on Vread.

Illustrative example

Checkpoint 1/15pp. 1–25

What a checkpoint looks like

A short, precise question about the pages you have just read: a character, a place, a choice.

The answer is in the text: reply in the app.

This is not a question from Algorithms to Live By: What Computers Can Teach Us About Solving Human Problems: to avoid spoilers, the real questions stay in the app.

Answer in the app, one checkpoint at a time.

Summary, quiz, reviews: frequently asked questions

How many pages is Algorithms to Live By: What Computers Can Teach Us About Solving Human Problems?
The edition listed on Vread has 368 pages. The exact count varies by edition (paperback, hardback, ebook).
How long does it take to read Algorithms to Live By: What Computers Can Teach Us About Solving Human Problems?
About 6 hours 40 minutes of reading, or 14 days at 30 minutes a day.
Is there a quiz on Algorithms to Live By: What Computers Can Teach Us About Solving Human Problems?
Yes: the Vread app has 15 reading questions on Algorithms to Live By: What Computers Can Teach Us About Solving Human Problems, one per checkpoint, unlocked as you read.
Where can I find a summary of Algorithms to Live By: What Computers Can Teach Us About Solving Human Problems?
Vread does not publish summaries: the app supports reading the book itself, part by part. Checkpoint questions cover what you have just read, which makes them a good way to check you did not miss anything.

Read Algorithms to Live By: What Computers Can Teach Us About Solving Human Problems with Vread

Add the book to your library, read at your own pace in whatever format you use, and validate each checkpoint. Vread is free on iPhone and Android.

Take the challenge

Written by Vread from its catalogue data (page count of the listed edition, checkpoints, ratings aggregated from 10 ratings). No summary or publisher text is reproduced. Reading times are estimates; see the method in the Vread Reading Barometer (in French).