Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ


Nov 30, 2007
This week's theme
Words with built-in definite articles

This week's words
lagniappe
alcove
El Dorado
azimuth
algorithm

This week’s comments
AWADmail 283

Next week’s theme
Misc. words
Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

algorithm

(AL-guh-rith-uhm) Pronunciation Sound Clip

noun: A finite sequence of well-defined steps for solving a problem.

After al Khwarizmi (the [man] of Khwarizm), a nickname of the 9th century Persian astronomer and mathematician Abu Jafar Muhammand ibn Musa, who authored many texts on arithmetic and algebra. He worked in Baghdad and his nickname alludes to his place of origin Khwarizm (Khiva), in present-day Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

"If you teach a computer to write a piece of music by feeding it an algorithm, have you composed the resulting piece or has the computer?"
Alexander Gelfand; The Sounds of Science; The Walrus (Toronto, Canada); Jun 2007.

See more usage examples of algorithm in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

X-Bonus

A politician is a man who thinks of the next election; while the statesman thinks of the next generation. -James Freeman Clarke, preacher and author (1810-1888)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith