algorithm

n. a well-defined procedure or set of rules that is used to solve a problem or accomplish a task or that is used for conducting a series of computations. An example is trying all the possible combinations in sequence in order to open a combination lock. Algorithms, which may be represented visually as flow charts, are essential to computer programming and information processing. The word is derived from the name of the 9th-century Arab mathematician al-Khwarizmi. Compare heuristic. See also British Museum algorithm; brute force; exhaustive search. —algorithmic adj.

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Psychology term of the day

January 21st 2025

basket cell

a type of neuron found in the cerebellum.