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Heuristic vs Empiric - What's the difference?

heuristic | empiric |

As adjectives the difference between heuristic and empiric

is that heuristic is relating to general strategies or methods for solving problems while empiric is empirical.

As nouns the difference between heuristic and empiric

is that heuristic is a heuristic method while empiric is a member of a sect of ancient physicians who based their theories solely on experience.

heuristic

English

(wikipedia heuristic)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Relating to general strategies or methods for solving problems.
  • (computing, of a method or algorithm) that solves a problem more quickly but is not certain to arrive at an optimal solution.
  • * {{quote-book, year=2002, author=Te Chiang Hu, Man-tak Shing, title=Combinatorial Algorithms citation
    • , passage=If a heuristic algorithm works for most of the input data or its maximum percentage error is tolerable, we may prefer the heuristic algorithm to an optimum algorithm that requires a long time.}}

    Derived terms

    * heuristically * heuristical

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A heuristic method.
  • The art of applying heuristic methods.

    • empiric

    English

    Alternative forms

    * empirick (obsolete)

    Adjective

    (head)
  • empirical

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • A member of a sect of ancient physicians who based their theories solely on experience.
  • Someone who is guided by empiricism; an empiricist.
  • Any unqualified or dishonest practitioner; a charlatan; a quack.
  • *, New York Review, Books, 2001, p.257:
  • *:An empiric oftentimes, and a silly chirurgeon, doth more strange cures than a rational physician.
  • * 1661 , (Robert Boyle), , p.24:
  • *:Paracelsus and some few other sooty Empiricks , rather then (as they are fain to call themselves) Philosophers, having their eyes darken'd, and their Brains troubl'd with the smoke of their own Furnaces, began to rail at the Peripatetick Doctrine, which they were too illiterate to understand […].
  • * John Locke
    • Swallow down opinions as silly people do empirics' pills.
  • *2002 , , The Great Nation , Penguin 2003, p.33:
  • *:To the disgust of doctors, the royal family at Versailles allowed one Brun, a wandering empiric  […], to administer a proprietary ‘sovereign remedy’ to the ailing monarch.

    • External links

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