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Is a heuristic an algorithm?

Answer:

In practice, it may be. But they are still different things.

A heuristic is a rough approximation that can help solving a problem.
For example, in a path-finding algorithm, if your destination is northbound, you may try goring north first. This is the heuristic.

It may not be correct (there may be a dead-end) but most of the time, it helps getting there faster.

First answer by ID1323532295. Last edit by ID1323532295. Question popularity: 1 [recommend question].

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