Which of the following would not be considered an algorithm

Depending on the legal system, the legal protection of trade secrets forms part of the general concept of protection against unfair competition or is based on specific provisions or case law on the protection of confidential information.

While a final determination of whether trade secret protection is violated or not depends on the circumstances of each individual case, in general, unfair practices in respect of secret information include breach of contract breach of confidence and industrial or commercial espionage.

A trade secret owner, however, cannot stop others from using the same technical or commercial information, if they acquired or developed such information independently by themselves through their own R&D, reverse engineering or marketing analysis, etc. Since trade secrets are not made public, unlike patents, they do not provide “defensive” protection, as being prior art. For example, if a specific process of producing Compound X has been protected by a trade secret, someone else can obtain a patent or a utility model on the same invention, if the inventor arrived at that invention independently.

An algorithm is a procedure used for solving a problem or performing a computation. Algorithms act as an exact list of instructions that conduct specified actions step by step in either hardware- or software-based routines.

Algorithms are widely used throughout all areas of IT. In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm usually refers to a small procedure that solves a recurrent problem. Algorithms are also used as specifications for performing data processing and play a major role in automated systems.

An algorithm could be used for sorting sets of numbers or for more complicated tasks, like recommending user content on social media. Algorithms typically start with initial input and instructions that describe a specific computation. When the computation is executed, the process produces an output.

How do algorithms work?

Algorithms can be expressed as natural languages, programming languages, pseudocode, flowcharts and control tables. Natural language expressions are rare, as they are more ambiguous. Programming languages are normally used for expressing algorithms executed by a computer.

Algorithms use an initial input along with a set of instructions. The input is the initial data needed to make decisions and can be represented in the form of numbers or words. The input data gets put through a set of instructions, or computations, which can include arithmetic and decision-making processes. The output is the last step in an algorithm and is normally expressed as more data.

For example, a search algorithm takes a search query as input and runs it through a set of instructions for searching through a database for relevant items to the query. Automation software acts as another example of algorithms, as automation follows a set of rules to complete tasks. Many algorithms make up automation software, and they all work to automate a given process.

What are different types of algorithms?

There are several types of algorithms, all designed to accomplish different tasks. For example, algorithms perform the following:

  • Search engine algorithm. This algorithm takes search stringsof keywords and operators as input, searches its associated database for relevant webpages and returns results.
  • Encryption algorithm. This computing algorithm transforms data according to specified actions to protect it. A symmetric key algorithm, such as the Data Encryption Standard, for example, uses the same keyto encrypt and decrypt data. As long as the algorithm is sufficiently sophisticated, no one lacking the key can decrypt the data.
  • Greedy algorithm. This algorithm solves optimization problems by finding the locally optimal solution, hoping it is the optimal solution at the global level. However, it does not guarantee the most optimal solution.
  • Recursive algorithm. This algorithm calls itself repeatedly until it solves a problem. Recursive algorithms call themselves with a smaller value every time a recursive function is invoked.
  • Backtracking algorithm. This algorithm finds a solution to a given problem in incremental approaches and solves it one piece at a time.
  • Divide-and-conquer algorithm. This common algorithm is divided into two parts. One part divides a problem into smaller subproblems. The second part solves these problems and then combines them together to produce a solution.
  • Dynamic programming algorithm. This algorithm solves problems by dividing them into subproblems. The results are then stored to be applied for future corresponding problems.
  • Brute-force algorithm. This algorithm iterates all possible solutions to a problem blindly, searching for one or more solutions to a function.
  • Sorting algorithm. Sorting algorithms are used to rearrange data structure based on a comparison operator, which is used to decide a new order for data.
  • Hashing algorithm. This algorithm takes data and converts it into a uniform message with a hashing
  • Randomized algorithm. This algorithm reduces running times and time-based complexities. It uses random elements as part of its logic.
Which of the following would not be considered an algorithm
11 different types of algorithms, including search, hashing and brute force

What are examples of algorithms?

Machine learning is a good example of an algorithm, as it uses multiple algorithms to predict outcomes without being explicitly programmed to do so. Machine learning uses supervised learning or unsupervised learning. In supervised learning, data scientists supply complex algorithms with labeled training data and define the variables they want the algorithm to assess for correlations. Both the input and the output of the algorithm are specified.

Unsupervised machine learning involves algorithms that train on unlabeled data. Unsupervised machine learning algorithms sift through unlabeled data to look for patterns that can be used to group data points into subsets. Most types of deep learning, including neural networks, are unsupervised algorithms.

Machine learning used in artificial intelligence also relies on algorithms. However, machine learning-based systems may have inherent biases in the data that feeds the machine learning algorithm. This could result in systems that are untrustworthy and potentially harmful.

Learn about algorithms, algorithm bias and how to combat algorithm bias.

This was last updated in May 2022

Continue Reading About algorithm

  • A look at AI trends and bias in AI algorithms
  • Hiring algorithms prove beneficial, but also raise ethical questions
  • How Getty Images reduces bias in AI algorithms to avoid harm
  • How to find the best machine learning frameworks for you
  • 6 ways to reduce different types of bias in machine learning

Related Terms

autocorrectAutocorrect is a word processing feature that identifies misspelled words, and uses algorithms to identify the words most likely ... See complete definitionnormal distributionA normal distribution is a type of continuous probability distribution in which most data points cluster toward the middle of the... See complete definitiontruth tableA truth table is a breakdown of all the possible truth values returned by a logical expression. See complete definition

Word of the Day

data dictionary

A data dictionary is a collection of descriptions of the data objects or items in a data model to which programmers and others can refer.

Which of the following is not an example of an algorithm?

Answer: A - Software documentation is not an example of an algorithm. An algorithm is a systematic method for solving a problem.

Which of the following is an example of an algorithm?

Common examples include: the recipe for baking a cake, the method we use to solve a long division problem, the process of doing laundry, and the functionality of a search engine are all examples of an algorithm.

Which of the following is true about an algorithm?

Answer: b) Algorithms are step-by-step rules for reaching a particular solution. Explanation: Algorithm is defined as step-vise procedure of solving and gaining a definite answer for a particular problem.

Which of the following is not a required property of an algorithm?

Answer: Explanation: Defectivity Is not a property of algorithm...