Tech Speak 101: "Algorithm"

Posted by Aaron Park Mar 26, 2009

Algorithm:

"Algorithm" is a mathematical term that means a finite set of rules or instructions. What this means in "tech speak" is that computers are embedded with specific algorithms--specific patterns of instructions, set in a specific order--that they need to perform in order to accomplish a given task. So basically, every computer program has a set of algorithms that tells it what to do, and what order to do it in.