An '''algorithm''' is a procedure for carrying out a task which, given an initial state, will terminate in a clearly defined end-state. It can be thought of as a recipe, or a step-by-step method, so that in following the steps of the algorithm one is guaranteed to find the solution or the answer. One commentator describes it as:<ref>David Berlinski, ''The Advent of the Algorithm: The Idea that Rules the World'' (Harcourt Inc.: 2000).</ref> | An '''algorithm''' is a procedure for carrying out a task which, given an initial state, will terminate in a clearly defined end-state. It can be thought of as a recipe, or a step-by-step method, so that in following the steps of the algorithm one is guaranteed to find the solution or the answer. One commentator describes it as:<ref>David Berlinski, ''The Advent of the Algorithm: The Idea that Rules the World'' (Harcourt Inc.: 2000).</ref> |