Algorithmics is the systematic study of the design and analysis of
algorithms
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing c ...
.
It is fundamental and one of the oldest fields of
computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...
. It includes
algorithm design
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing c ...
, the art of building a procedure which can solve efficiently a specific problem or a class of problem,
algorithmic complexity theory
In algorithmic information theory (a subfield of computer science and mathematics), the Kolmogorov complexity of an object, such as a piece of text, is the length of a shortest computer program (in a predetermined programming language) that produ ...
, the study of estimating the hardness of problems by studying the properties of the algorithm that solves them, or
algorithm analysis
In computer science, the analysis of algorithms is the process of finding the computational complexity of algorithms—the amount of time, storage, or other resources needed to execute them. Usually, this involves determining a function that r ...
, the science of studying the properties of a problem, such as quantifying resources in time and memory space needed by this algorithm to solve this problem.
The term algorithmics is rarely used in the English-speaking world, where it is synonymous with ''algorithms and data structures''. The term gained wider popularity after the publication of the book ''Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing'' by
David Harel
David Harel ( he, דוד הראל; born 12 April 1950) is a computer scientist, currently serving as President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. He has been on the faculty of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel since 1980, ...
.
See also
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Divide-and-conquer algorithm
In computer science, divide and conquer is an algorithm design paradigm. A divide-and-conquer algorithm recursively breaks down a problem into two or more sub-problems of the same or related type, until these become simple enough to be solved dire ...
*
Heuristic
A heuristic (; ), or heuristic technique, is any approach to problem solving or self-discovery that employs a practical method that is not guaranteed to be optimal, perfect, or rational, but is nevertheless sufficient for reaching an immediate, ...
*
Akra–Bazzi method
In computer science, the Akra–Bazzi method, or Akra–Bazzi theorem, is used to analyze the asymptotic behavior of the mathematical recurrences that appear in the analysis of divide and conquer algorithms where the sub-problems have substantia ...
Notes
{{Computer science