Algorithm

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An algorithm is a set of instructions for solving logical and mathematical problems, or for accomplishing some other task.

A recipe is a good example of an algorithm because it says what must be done, step by step. It takes inputs (ingredients) and produces an output (the completed dish).

The words 'algorithm' and 'algorism' come from the name of a Persian mathematician called Al-Khwārizmī (Persian: خوارزمی, c. 780–850).

Informally, an algorithm can be called a "list of steps". Algorithms can be written in ordinary language, and that may be all a person needs.

In computing, an algorithm is a precise list of operations that could be done by a Turing machine. For the purpose of computing, algorithms are written in pseudocode, flow charts, or programming languages.