[seqfan] Re: What do you call an algorithm that is inefficient overall in some cases?

Olivier Gerard olivier.gerard at gmail.com
Mon Feb 8 11:19:59 CET 2010


Heuristics has merits and I think myopic is close to what you describe but
you could take one of these other point of views:

- This is not an algorithm for what you are searching for but for another
not completely specified sub problem that it solves satisfactorily.  Your
new quest is now to characterize this particular problem.

- This is an incorrect algorithm for the problem you want. It is not just
inefficient (hinting that it solves but using too many resources) but has
incorrect outputs.


On Mon, Feb 8, 2010 at 07:03, <franktaw at netscape.net> wrote:

> I'm not sure what "inefficient overall in some cases"; but "heuristic"
> may capture the essence of what you are asking.
>
> Franklin T. Adams-Watters
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Alonso Del Arte <alonso.delarte at gmail.com>
>
> What do you call an algorithm that is inefficient overall in some
> cases, but
> never at the level of an individual step? For example, the algorithm
> described in A112687 fails to find 2-square solutions for numbers like
> 32
> and 244. But it does work for numbers like 50 and 82. I've looked up
> both
> "greedy algorithm" and "myopic algorithm" in the Oxford Math Dictionary
> but
> neither term seems to apply here.
>
> Al
>
>
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