# algorithm

Pronunciation: say "AL-guh-ri-thuhm" /ˈælɡəɹɪðm̩/

## Noun

1. A precise, step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or reaching a decision, especially in mathematics or computing; in medicine it is often set out as a flowchart.
   - Simple: A set of steps to follow to solve a problem or decide what to do.
   - _Euclid's algorithm finds the greatest common divisor of two whole numbers._
   - _Computer scientists compare sorting algorithms by how fast they run on large inputs._
2. Informal, usually 'the algorithm': the software on a social media or streaming platform that decides which content each user sees, and so shapes what goes viral and trends.
   - Simple: The computer system on apps and websites that picks what posts or videos each person sees.
   - _Creators tweak their posting schedules and hashtags to please the algorithm._
   - _When the platform changed the algorithm, news pages suddenly reached far fewer readers._

## Noun

3. Calculation performed with Arabic numerals rather than older systems; also known as algorism. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Doing math with the number symbols 0 through 9, instead of with Roman numerals or a counting board.

## Origin

From Middle English algorisme, via Anglo-Norman algorisme and Medieval Latin algorismus, from Arabic al-ḵawārizmiyy, the nisba of the Persian mathematician Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī, a toponymic name meaning 'person from Chorasmia'. The spelling change from -s- to -th- was influenced by the unrelated Ancient Greek word ἀριθμός (arithmós), source of English arithmo-.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/algorithm (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).