The word "algorithm" comes from the name of the ninth-century Persian mathematician Mohammed al-Khowarizmi. He wrote a widely read book entitled Kitab al jabr w'al-muqabala (Rules of Restoration and Reduction). This book describes many procedures for the manipulation of decimal numbers.

Today, the term algorithm is used to describe a wide variety of procedures from the sequence of steps executed for the manipulation of integers to the series of actions involved in searching databases and the Internet.

An algorithm can be described informally or with mathematical rigor. Informally, it might be described as a basic set of steps that must be performed to reach a predetermined result. For example, in grade school, students learn to multiply two integers by carrying out a repetitive sequence of activities. If they proceed carefully according to the directions, they will eventually compute the product.

According to the more...