heuristic

5 definitions found

heuristic - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Heuristic \Heu*ris"tic\ (h[-u]*r[i^]s"t[i^]k), a. [Gr.
     e"yri`skein to discover.]
     1. Serving to promote discovery or learning; -- used
        especially of thories or paradigms which stimulate new
        ideas for discovering facts in experimental sciences.
        [1913 Webster +PJC]
  
     2. Serving to stimulate people to learn and discover on their
        own, especially by encouraging experimental and
        trial-and-error methods for solving problems.
        [PJC]
  
     3. Pertaining to or based on trial-and-error and experimental
        methods of learning and evaluation.
        [PJC]
  
     4. (Computers) Based on the use of an efficient trial-and
        error method to search a space of possible solutions to a
        problem, or to find an acceptable approximate solution,
        when an exact algorithmic method is unavailable or too
        time-consuming.
        [PJC]

  Heuristic \Heu*ris"tic\ (h[-u]*r[i^]s"t[i^]k), n.
     1. A heuristic method; a specific heuristic procedure.
        [PJC]
  
     2. A theory or approach which serves to promote discovery or
        learning by encouraging experimentation.
        [PJC]

heuristic - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  heuristic
      adj 1: of or relating to or using a general formulation that
             serves to guide investigation [ant: algorithmic]
      n 1: a commonsense rule (or set of rules) intended to increase
           the probability of solving some problem [syn: heuristic,
           heuristic rule, heuristic program]

heuristic - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  heuristic
  non-algorithmic procedure
  
     1. <programming> A rule of thumb, simplification, or educated
     guess that reduces or limits the search for solutions in
     domains that are difficult and poorly understood.  Unlike
     algorithms, heuristics do not guarantee optimal, or even
     feasible, solutions and are often used with no theoretical
     guarantee.
  
     2. <algorithm> approximation algorithm.
  
     (2001-04-12)
  

heuristic - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  34 Moby Thesaurus words for "heuristic":
     analytic, cut-and-try, empirical, examinational, examinatorial,
     examining, experimental, explorational, explorative, exploratory,
     fact-finding, feeling, groping, hit-or-miss, indagative,
     inspectional, inspectorial, investigational, investigative,
     investigatory, pilot, probationary, probative, probatory, proving,
     provisional, tentative, test, testing, trial, trial-and-error,
     trying, verificatory, zetetic