From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm (/ˈælɡərɪðəm/ (
listen)) is a finite sequence of well-defined, computer-implementable instructions, typically to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation.[1][2] Algorithms are always unambiguous and are used as specifications for performing calculations, data processing, automated reasoning, and other tasks. In contrast, a heuristic is a technique used in problem solving that uses practical methods and/or various estimates in order to produce solutions that may not be optimal but are sufficient given the circumstances.[3][4]