Algorithm
hideIn mathematics, computing, linguistics, and related subjects, an algorithm is a finite sequence of instructions, an explicit, step-by-step procedure for solving a problem, often used for calculation and data processing. It is formally a type of effective method in which a list of well-defined instructions for completing a task, will when given an initial state, proceed through a well-defined series of successive states, eventually terminating in an end-state. The transition from one state to the next is not necessarily deterministic; some algorithms, known as probabilistic algorithms, incorporate randomness.
A partial formalization of the concept began with attempts to solve the Entscheidungsproblem (the "decision problem") posed by David Hilbert in 1928. Subsequent formalizations were framed as attempts to define "effective calculability" (Kleene 1943:274) or "effective method" (Rosser 1939:225); those formalizations included the Gödel-Herbrand-Kleene recursive functions of 1930, 1934 and 1935, Alonzo Church's lambda calculus of 1936, Emil Post's "Formulation 1" of 1936, and Alan Turing's Turing machines of 1936–7 and 1939.
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News tagged with algorithm
Google Collaborates with D-Wave on Possible Quantum Image Search
Dec 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Always on the cutting edge of new computing technologies, Google has recently announced that it is investigating the use of quantum computing schemes to achieve faster image recognition rates. ...
New Algorithm Ranks Sports Teams like Google's PageRank
Technology / Computer Sciences
Dec 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Sports fans may be interested in a new system that ranks NFL and college football teams in a simple, straightforward way, similar to how Google PageRank ranks webpages. The new sports algorithm, ...
Slam dunk for future smart robots
Dec 14, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- 'What does the world look like' and 'where am I' are two questions robots must solve if they are to act autonomously in an unknown environment. Work by European researchers will help future ...
First-ever calculation performed on optical quantum computer chip
Sep 03, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A primitive quantum computer that uses single particles of light (photons) whizzing through a silicon chip has performed its first mathematical calculation. This is the first time a calculation ...
Solving big problems with new quantum algorithm
Nov 09, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In a recently published paper, Aram Harrow at the University of Bristol and colleagues from MIT in the United States have discovered a quantum algorithm that solves large problems much faster ...
Visual assistance for cosmic blind spots
Nov 23, 2009 |
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A bit of imagination on the part of a measuring instrument wouldn't be a bad thing. It could help to add data from areas where the instrument is unable to measure. However, it must do so constructively. In ...
P vs. NP -- The most notorious problem in theoretical computer science remains open
Technology / Computer Sciences
Oct 29, 2009 |
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In the 1995 Halloween episode of The Simpsons, Homer Simpson finds a portal to the mysterious Third Dimension behind a bookcase, and desperate to escape his in-laws, he plunges through. He finds himself wander ...
Spacesuits with artificial intelligence may look for life on Mars
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 04, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronauts may in future be wearing spacesuits equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) and digital eyes, turning them into what the researchers call cyborg astrobiologists.
Microsoft Researchers Developing Muscle-Based PC Interface (w/ Video)
Technology / Computer Sciences
Oct 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Microsoft researches have teamed up with the University of Washington and the University of Toronto to develop a muscle-controlled interface that allows for hands-free, gesture-driven interaction ...
Analyzing structural brain changes in Alzheimer's disease
Nov 16, 2009 |
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In a study that promises to improve diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease, scientists at the University of California, San Diego have developed a fast and accurate method for quantifying subtle, ...
Scientists create first electronic quantum processor
Jun 28, 2009 |
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A team led by Yale University researchers has created the first rudimentary solid-state quantum processor, taking another step toward the ultimate dream of building a quantum computer.
NASA 'Drops' Next Generation Robotic Lander During Autonomous Tests
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA has successfully completed a series of autonomous "drop" tests of a robotic lander test article - in a record 10 months - to demonstrate the ability to perform a controlled landing on ...
Researchers patent enabling technology for spread-spectrum systems
Nov 17, 2009 |
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If you've ever gotten the dreaded "network busy" message while trying to make a cell phone call, you've experienced the complication of sharing a single network with numerous other users.
WPA Wi-Fi Encryption Cracked In Sixty Seconds
Aug 28, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Two Japanese computer scientists have developed a way to crack the WPA encryption between wireless routes and devices in 60 seconds.
Deepening the search for clues to rheumatoid arthritis
Nov 09, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The gnawing pain of rheumatoid arthritis is a signal that the body’s immune system has hit the wrong target: its own cartilage and bone.
