(Computer science) Algorithm

An algorithm is a finite set of instruction for achieving a particular task.

A precisely determined set of steps required to achive a desired results from the given input data.

A plan or routine for solving a problem. This might be a strategy for playing a game, a method of solving an equation, or a way of arranging data. In most common computer applications an algorithmic solution to a problem must be constructed first.

History

The word comes from the Persian author Abu Ja'far Mohammed ibn Mûsâ ''al-Khowârizmî'' (pronounced almost like ''algorithm'') who wrote a book with arithmetic rules dating from about 825 A.D.

Order Of An Algorithm

The order of an algorithm is a way of defining its efficiency. Normally n denotes the number of items of data to be proccessed, and the number of operations that need to be performed are specified as a function of n. An algorithm whose order can be expressed as a polynomial (e.g. n+1 or n²) is normally a good one; the lower the degree of the polynomial the better. Examples are the bubble sort, quick sort and Dijkstra's Shortest Route Algorithm. Algorithms of exponential order (e.g. a^kn) are normally a very bad bet and cannot be used; these need to be refined into a discrete format.

Big O Notation

Big O notation indicates the order of an algorithm. O(1) indicates constant time. O(n) is linear, while O(log n) is logarithmic, etc.

Coding

It can then be converted or coded into a program using a programming language. However computers can solve problems without an algorithm or a software program (Neural Networks). Algorithmic language is a programming language which carries out its work by using a set of defined steps rather than by trial and error.

last edited (November 6, 2006) by bilderbikkel, Number of views: 11677, Current Rev: 6 (Diff)

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