Algorithms

An algorithm is a program to solve a specific kind of problem.

• Is there an algorithm to solve a certain class of problems?

• Does an algorithm work? (Always? Most of the time? Under certain conditions? Only if we are lucky?)

• How long does it take to find the answer? (Average? Worst case?)

• How much memory does it take?

• How does the difficulty of the problem (time and memory required) depend on the size of the problem?

• What is the inherent difficulty of problems? How difficult are problems of a given class? Is a known algorithm the best one possible?

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