Algorithm
a.k.a. Algo
A fixed set of step-by-step instructions a computer follows to solve a problem or reach a result.
In plain English
A fixed set of step-by-step instructions a computer follows to solve a problem or reach a result.
An algorithm is a recipe for a computer: do this, then this, and if that happens, do the other thing. Same inputs in, same result out, every time.
Crypto runs on them. Cryptographic algorithms scramble data and produce digital signatures. A consensus algorithm lets thousands of strangers agree on one shared ledger. And traders use algorithms too, in trading bots that buy and sell by rule rather than by gut.
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