In
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 practical disciplines (includin ...
, a sequential algorithm or serial algorithm is an
algorithm
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 ...
that is executed sequentially – once through, from start to finish, without other processing executing – as opposed to
concurrently or in
parallel. The term is primarily used to contrast with ''
concurrent algorithm'' or ''
parallel algorithm;'' most standard computer algorithms are sequential algorithms, and not specifically identified as such, as sequentialness is a background assumption. Concurrency and parallelism are in general distinct concepts, but they often overlap – many
distributed algorithms are both concurrent and parallel – and thus "sequential" is used to contrast with both, without distinguishing which one. If these need to be distinguished, the opposing pairs sequential/concurrent and serial/parallel may be used.
"Sequential algorithm" may also refer specifically to an algorithm for decoding a
convolutional code.
See also
*
Online algorithm
*
Streaming algorithm In computer science, streaming algorithms are algorithms for processing data streams in which the input is presented as a sequence of items and can be examined in only a few passes (typically just one). In most models, these algorithms have access ...
References
Algorithms
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