In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is a self-contained step-by-step set of operations to be performed.

Algorithms perform calculation, data processing, and/or automated reasoning tasks.

The English word \'algorithm\' comes from Medieval Latin word algorism and the Greek word \"arithmos\".

English adopted the French term, but it wasn\'t until the late 19th century that \"algorithm\" took on the meaning that it has in modern English.