1.1 Algorithms

Algorithm - procedure that takes input (values) and transforms it to output (values)

Sorting problem - sort a sequence of numbers into non-decreasing order

Input: Sequence of n items (ex. an instance: <2,4,3,3>)
Output: Permutation with n non-decreasing items <2,3,3,4>

An instance is an example input used to compute solution

The best algorithm for a task, like sorting, depends on the properties of the application

Correct and incorrect algorithms (doesn't solve every instance, or is wrong) can both be useful