Encyclopedia > Dictionary of Algorithms and Data Structures
The Dictionary of Algorithms and Data Structures is maintained by Paul E. Black, and is hosted by the Software Quality Group of the Software Diagnostics and Conformance Testing Division, Information Technology Laboratory, a part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It contains "algorithms, algorithmic techniques, data structures, archetypical problems, and related definitions" As a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce’s Technology Administration, the National Institute of Standards (NIST) develops and promotes measurement, standards, and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade, and improve the quality of life. ...
Algorithms can be implemented by computer programs, although often in restricted forms; an error in the design of an algorithm for solving a problem can lead to failures in the implementing program.
Algorithms are essential to the way computers process information, because a computer program is essentially an algorithm that tells the computer what specific steps to perform (in what specific order) in order to carry out a specified task, such as calculating employeesâ paychecks or printing studentsâ report cards.
Algorithms are not only implemented as computer programs, but often also by other means, such as in a biological neural network (for example, the human brain implementing arithmetic or an insect relocating food), or in electric circuits or in a mechanical device.
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