Algorithm: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:08, 8 October 2002

Revision as of 07:16, 9 October 2002

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[[de:Algorithmus]][[eo:Algoritmo]][[fr:Algorithme]][[pl:Algorytm]][[nl:algoritme]]

Generally, an '''algorithm''' is a list of instructions for accomplishing some task, and the task can be anything that has a recognizable end-point (or result). Often some of the specific steps in the procedure are to be repeated until the task is done. A recipe is one kind of algorithm, and there can be different algorithms for accomplishing the same task: Some recipes for making potato salad, for example, have "peel the potato" before "boil the potato", while some have the "boil" step before the "peel" step (and others leave out the "peel" step entirely), but they all call for those steps to be repeated for however many potatoes there are, and they all end when the potato salad is ready to eat.

An '''algorithm''' is a well-defined method or procedure for solving a problem, usually a problem in [[mathematics]] or otherwise relating to the manipulation of [[information]]. Typically, an algorithm is described as a series of actions that have to be done plus an indication of whether and when they are to be repeated. Some people restrict the definition of ''algorithm'' to procedures that eventually finish, while others also include procedures that run forever without stopping. Algorithms are often implemented as [[computer program]]s but can also be implemented as [[electric circuit]]s or even performed directly by [[human]]s.

AnAlgorithms are essential to the way computers process information, because a computer program is essentially an algorithm that tells the computer what specific steps to perform, in what specific order, to calculate the employees' paychecks or print the students' report cards. In that context, an '''algorithm''' is a well-defined method or procedure for solving a problem, usually a problem in [[mathematics]] or otherwise relating to the manipulation of [[information]]. Typically, an algorithm is described as a series of actions that have to be done plus an indication of whether and when they are to be repeated. Some people restrict the definition of ''algorithm'' to procedures that eventually finish, while others also include procedures that run forever without stopping. Algorithms are often implemented as [[computer program]]s but can also be implemented as [[electric circuit]]s or even performed directly by [[human]]s.

As an example of an algorithm, here is one given to us by [[Euclid]], and thus known as the [[Euclidean algorithm]], for finding the [[greatest common divisor]] (GCD) of two positive [[integer]]s A and B: