Algorithms

Terms related to procedures or formulas for solving a problem by conducting a sequence of specified actions. In computing, algorithms in the form of mathematical instructions play an important part in search, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

order of magnitude - An order of magnitude is an exponential change of plus or minus 1 in the value of a quantity or unit.
outlier - An outlier is a single data point that goes far outside the average value of a group of statistics.
Pareto chart (Pareto distribution diagram) - A Pareto chart, also called a Pareto distribution diagram, is a vertical bar graph in which values are plotted in decreasing order of relative frequency from left to right.
pascal - The pascal (Pa) is the unit of pressure or stress in the International System of Units (SI).
point-to-point graph (line graph) - A point-to-point graph, also called a line graph, is a pictorial rendition of data in which specific values of a function are plotted as dots on a coordinate plane.
prediction error - A prediction error is the failure of some expected event to occur.
prime number - A prime number is a whole number greater than 1 whose only factors are 1 and itself.
pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) - A pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) is a program written for, and used in, probability and statistics applications when large quantities of random digits are needed.
Q format - Q (number) format is a fixed-point method of coding fractional and whole integers for processing by a computer’s CPU or a digital signal processor (DSP).
quantum computing - Quantum computing is an area of computer science focused on the development of computers based on the principles of quantum theory.
random numbers - As the term suggests, a random number is a number chosen by chance -- i.
recurrent neural networks - A recurrent neural network (RNN) is a type of artificial neural network commonly used in speech recognition and natural language processing.
Rijndael - Rijndael (pronounced rain-dahl) is an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm.
round robin - A round robin is an arrangement of choosing all elements in a group equally in some rational order, usually from the top to the bottom of a list and then starting again at the top of the list and so on.
rounding error - Rounding error is the difference between a rounded-off numerical value and the actual value.
RSA algorithm (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) - The RSA algorithm (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) is the basis of a cryptosystem -- a suite of cryptographic algorithms that are used for specific security services or purposes -- which enables public key encryption and is widely used to secure sensitive data, particularly when it is being sent over an insecure network, such as the internet.
second (s or sec) - The second (s or sec) is the International System of Units (SI) unit of time measurement.
self-service business intelligence (self-service BI) - Self-service business intelligence (BI) is an approach to data analytics that enables business users to access and explore data sets even if they don't have a background in BI or related functions such as data mining and statistical analysis.
semantic search - Semantic search is a data searching technique that uses natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms to improve the accuracy of search results by considering the searcher's intent and the contextual meaning of the terms used in their query.
space - Space is a term that can refer to various phenomena in science, mathematics and computing and generally encompasses the concept of an area or region.
specific gravity - Specific gravity, more formally known as relative density, is a measure of the density of a substance in comparison to the density of water.
square meter (meter squared) - The square meter, also called the meter squared, is the International System of Units (SI) unit of area.
standing wave ratio (SWR) - Standing wave ratio (SWR) is the ratio of the maximum magnitude or amplitude of a standing wave to its minimum magnitude.
statistical analysis - Statistical analysis is the collection and interpretation of data in order to uncover patterns and trends.
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) - STEM is an educational approach that prepares primary and secondary students for college, graduate study and careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
support vector machine (SVM) - A support vector machine (SVM) is a type of supervised learning algorithm used in machine learning to solve classification and regression tasks.
Top searches of 2008 - What were people searching the WhatIs.
traveling salesman problem (TSP) - The traveling salesman problem (TSP) is an algorithmic problem tasked with finding the shortest route between a set of points and locations that must be visited.
truncation error - A truncation error is the difference between an actual and a truncated, or cut-off, value.
truth table - A truth table is a breakdown of all the possible truth values returned by a logical expression.
Twofish - Twofish is a symmetric-key block cipher with a block size of 128 bits and variable-length key of size 128, 192 or 256 bits.
unique identifier (UID) - A unique identifier (UID) is a numeric or alphanumeric string that is associated with a single entity within a given system.
unsupervised learning - Unsupervised learning is a type of machine learning (ML) technique that uses artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to identify patterns in data sets that are neither classified nor labeled.
vertical bar - The vertical bar ( | ) is a symbol used in mathematics, computing and other areas to represent a specific type of logic or operation, depending on its context.
What is a perceptron? - A perceptron is a simple model of a biological neuron used in an artificial neural network.
What is artificial intelligence (AI)? Everything you need to know - Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems.
What is Data Encryption Standard (DES)? - Data Encryption Standard (DES) is an outdated symmetric key method of data encryption.
What is machine learning and how does it work? In-depth guide - Machine learning (ML) is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) focused on building computer systems that learn from data.
What is reinforcement learning? - Reinforcement learning (RL) is a machine learning training method that trains software to make certain desired actions.
x and y coordinates - X and y coordinates are, respectively, the horizontal and vertical addresses of a point in any two-dimensional (2D) space, such as a sheet of paper or a computer display screen.
Zipf's Law - Zipf’s Law is a statistical distribution in certain data sets, such as words in a linguistic corpus, in which the frequencies of certain words are inversely proportional to their ranks.