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Encyclopedia > Trial and error

Trial and error, or trial by error, is a general method of problem solving for obtaining knowledge, both propositional knowledge and know-how. In the field of computer science, the method is called generate and test. In elementary algebra, when solving equations, it is "guess and check". Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Problem solving forms part of thinking. ... For other uses, see Knowledge (disambiguation). ... Propositional knowledge or declarative knowledge is knowledge that some proposition is either true or false. ... Procedural knowledge or know-how is the knowledge of how to perform some task. ... Computer science, or computing science, is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer systems. ...


This approach can be seen as one of the two basic approaches to problem solving and is contrasted with an approach using insight and theory. Look up Insight in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The word theory has a number of distinct meanings in different fields of knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. ...

Contents

Process

Bricolage - In trial and error, one selects a possible answer, applies it to the problem and, if it is not successful, selects (or generates) another possibility that is subsequently tried. The process ends when a possibility yields a solution. Look up Bricolage in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...


In some versions of trial and error, the option that is a priori viewed as the most likely one should be tried first, followed by the next most likely, and so on until a solution is found, or all the options are exhausted. In other versions, options are simply tried at random. The terms a priori and a posteriori are used in philosophy to distinguish between two different types of propositional knowledge. ...


Methodology

This approach is more successful with simple problems and in games, and is often resorted to when no apparent rule applies. This does not mean that the approach need be careless, for an individual can be methodical in manipulating the variables in an attempt to sort through possibilities that may result in success. Nevertheless, this method is often used by people who have little knowledge in the problem area.


Features

Trial and error has a number of features:

  • solution-oriented: trial and error makes no attempt to discover why a solution works, merely that it is a solution.
  • problem-specific: trial and error makes no attempt to generalise a solution to other problems.
  • non-optimal: trial and error is an attempt to find a solution, not all solutions, and not the best solution.
  • needs little knowledge: trials and error can proceed where there is little or no knowledge of the subject.

Examples

Trial and error has traditionally been the main method of finding new drugs, such as antibiotics. Chemists simply try chemicals at random until they find one with the desired effect. An antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria. ... A chemist pours from a round-bottom flask. ...


The scientific method can be regarded as containing an element of trial and error in its formulation and testing of hypotheses. Also compare genetic algorithms, simulated annealing and reinforcement learning - all varieties for search which apply the basic idea of trial and error. Scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. ... A genetic algorithm (GA) is a search technique used in computing to find exact or approximate solutions to optimization and search problems. ... For other uses, see Annealing. ... Reinforcement learning refers to a class of problems in machine learning which postulate an agent exploring an environment in which the agent perceives its current state and takes actions. ...


Biological Evolution is also a form of trial and error. Random mutations and sexual genetic variations can be viewed as trials and poor reproductive fitness as the error. Thus after a long time 'knowledge' of well-adapted genomes accumulates simply by virtue of them being able to reproduce. This article is about evolution in biology. ...


Bogosort can be viewed as a trial and error approach to sorting a list. Bogosort is a particularly ineffective sorting algorithm. ...


In mathematics the method of trial and error can be used to solve formulae - it is a slower, less precise method than algebra, but is easier to understand. For other meanings of mathematics or uses of math and maths, see Mathematics (disambiguation) and Math (disambiguation). ... In mathematics and in the sciences, a formula (plural: formulae, formulæ or formulas) is a concise way of expressing information symbolically (as in a mathematical or chemical formula), or a general relationship between quantities. ...


See also

The EFFs US$250,000 DES cracking machine contained over 1,800 custom chips and could brute force a DES key in a matter of days — the photograph shows a DES Cracker circuit board fitted with several Deep Crack chips. ... In computer science, a brute-force search consists of systematically enumerating every possible solution of a problem until a solution is found, or all possible solutions have been exhausted. ... In philosophy generally, empiricism is a theory of knowledge emphasizing the role of experience, especially sensory perception, in the formation of ideas, while discounting the notion of innate ideas. ...

Notes


  Results from FactBites:
 
Trial and error - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (532 words)
Trial and error (also known in computer science literature as generate and test and as "guess and check" when solving equations in elementary algebra) is a method of problem solving for obtaining knowledge, both propositional knowledge and know-how.
In trial and error, one selects (or generates) a possible answer, applies it to the problem and, if it is not successful, selects (or generates) another possibility that is subsequently tried.
In some versions of trial and error, the option that is a priori viewed as the most likely one should be tried first, followed by the next most likely, and so on until a solution is found, or all the options are exhausted.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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