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English

Etymology

From F. algorithme; from the OF. algorisme ("the Arabic numeral system"), a modification likely due to a mistaken connection with Greek ��ιθμ�� (number); from Medieval Latin algorismus, a mangled transliteration of the name of the Islamic mathematician w:Muhammad ibn Mūs� al-Khw�rizmī|al-Khw�rizmī (Arabic: ARchar|ا�خ�ارز��, "native of Khwarezm.")

Alternative spellings
algorism (obsolete)

Pronunciation
IPA|/�ælg�ɹɪðm/, SAMPA|/"{lg@rIDm/

Noun
en-noun

1. A precise step-by-step plan for a computational procedure that begins with an input value and yields an output value in a finite number of steps.

#: 1990: Cormen, Leiserson, and Rivest, Introduction to Algorithms: page 1. Cambridge, MA, The MIT Press, 1999 (23rd printing) - Informally, an algorithm is any well-defined computational procedure that takes some value, or set of values, as input and produces some value, or set of values, as output. An algorithm is thus a sequence of computational steps that transform the input into the output.

Related terms
algorithmic
algorithmics

Usage notes
Though some technical definitions require that an algorithm always terminate in a finite number of steps, this distinction is not generally observed in practice.

Translations
trans-top|well-defined procedure
Bosnian: algoritem m
Catalan: algorisme m
Chinese: �� (suàn.f�)
Croatian: t-|hr|algoritam|m
Czech: t-|cs|algoritmus|m
Dutch: t-|nl|algoritme|n
Finnish: t+|fi|algoritmi
French: t+|fr|algorithme|m
German: t+|de|Algorithmus|m
Georgian: ��������� (algoriṭmi)
Greek: αλγο�ίθμο� (algoríŧmos)
Icelandic: t-|is|reiknirit
Italian: t-|it|algoritmo
Japanese: t+|ja|������|trarugorizumu|scJpan
Korean: �고리� (al.go.ri.jŭm)
trans-mid
Latin: algorithmus m
Lithuanian: t+|lt|algoritmas|m|xs=Lithuanian
Norwegian: t-|no|algoritme|m
Persian: FAchar|ا�گ�ر�ت� (algoritm)
Polish: t+|pl|algorytm|m
Portuguese: t-|pt|algoritmo|m
Russian: t+|ru|алго�и�м|m|tralgoritm|scCyrl
Spanish: t-|es|algoritmo|m
Swedish: t+|sv|algoritm
Tagalog: algorítmo
Thai: THchar|อัล�อริ�ึม (àlkooriitʰɨm)
Turkish: t+|tr|algoritma|m
trans-bottom

See also
algebra
algorism
data structure
function
program

Category:Arabic derivations
Category:Computer Science
Category:Eponyms
Category:Persian derivations

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• 2007-12-27 21:16 - Tbot - added t for fr, de, lt, pl, ru, sv, tr

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