Question

Explain the characteristics of an algorithm.

Answer 1

1. Input – Zero or more quantities to be supplied.
2. Output – At least one quantity is produced.
3. Finiteness – Algorithms must terminate after a finite number of steps.
4. Definiteness – All operations should be well defined. For example, operations involving division by zero or taking square root for negative numbers are unacceptable.
5. Effectiveness – Every instruction must be carried out effectively.
6. Correctness – The algorithms should be error-free.
7. Simplicity – Easy to implement.
8. Unambiguous – The algorithm should be clear and unambiguous. Each of its steps and its inputs/outputs should be clear and must lead to only one meaning.
9. Feasibility – This should be feasible with the available resources.
10. Portable – An algorithm should be generic, independent of any programming language or an operating system able to handle all range of inputs.
11. Independent – An algorithm should have step-by-step directions, which should be independent of any programming code.