What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Algorithm vs Compute - What's the difference?

algorithm | compute |

As a noun algorithm

is a precise step-by-step plan for a computational procedure that possibly begins with an input value and yields an output value in a finite number of steps.

As a verb compute is

.

algorithm

English

(wikipedia algorithm)

Alternative forms

* algorism (obsolete)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A precise step-by-step plan for a computational procedure that possibly begins with an input value and yields an output value in a finite number of steps.
  • * 1990 , Cormen, Leiserson, and Rivest, Introduction to Algorithms'': page 1. Cambridge, MA, The MIT Press, 1999 (''23rd printing )
    • Informally, an algorithm''''' is any well-defined computational procedure that takes some value, or set of values, as input and produces some value, or set of values, as output. An ' algorithm is thus a sequence of computational steps that transform the input into the output.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-26, author=(Leo Hickman)
    • , volume=189, issue=7, page=26, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly) , title= How algorithms rule the world , passage=The use of algorithms in policing is one example of their increasing influence on our lives. And, as their ubiquity spreads, so too does the debate around whether we should allow ourselves to become so reliant on them – and who, if anyone, is policing their use.}}
  • (archaic) Calculation with Arabic numerals; algorism.

    • Hyponyms

    (hyp-top) * approximation algorithm * checksum algorithm * classification algorithm * compression algorithm * computer arithmetic algorithm * distributed algorithm * divide and conquer algorithm (hyp-mid) * genetic algorithm * greedy algorithm * parallel algorithm * randomized algorithm * randomized algorithm * semi-algorithm * sequential algorithm (hyp-bottom)

    Related terms

    * algorithmic * algorithmics * algorithmization * algorithmize * algebra * algorism

    Usage notes

    * Though some technical definitions require that an algorithm always terminate in a finite number of steps, this distinction is not generally observed in practice.

    See also

    * data structure * function * program

    Anagrams

    * logarithm English eponyms English terms derived from Arabic English terms derived from Persian

    compute

    English

    Verb

    (comput)
  • To reckon or calculate.
    • Can anyone here compute the square root of 10201?
  • (informal) To make sense.
    • Does that compute , or do I need to explain further?

    Related terms

    * computable * computability * computation * computational * computer * computing * miscompute * recompute * count

    External links

    * * ----