Algorithm
A specification of how to solve a class of problems — can be a calculation, a process for data, or a form of automated reasoning.
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Origin
The word derives from Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi (c. 780–850), a Persian mathematician at Baghdad's House of Wisdom during the Islamic Golden Age. When his treatise on Indian numerals was translated into Latin in the 12th century as Algoritmi de numero Indorum, the Latinized form of his name—"algorithmi"—became "algorithm." Al-Khwarizmi also gave us "algebra" from his book Al-Jabr (c. 820), making him the namesake of two foundational mathematical terms.
Updated February 22, 2026