A rule of thumb or guideline (as opposed to an invariant procedure) Heuristics may not always achieve the desired outcome, but they are extremely valuable to problem-solving processes (Wilson)
A rule of thumb or guideline (as opposed to an invariant procedure) Heuristics may not always achieve the desired outcome, but are extremely valuable to problem-solving processes
An algorithm which takes as input certain information about a domain and calculates which action an agent can perform that is of greatest benefit to it Determining the overall benefit of an action depends on a comparison of the effects of the candidate actions on the state of the game world
a commonsense rule (or set of rules) intended to increase the probability of solving some problem of or relating to or using a general formulation that serves to guide investigation
A heuristic computer program uses rules based on previous experience in order to solve a problem, rather than using a mathematical procedure. see also algorithm
"Any principle or device that contributes to a reduction in the average search for a solution " (Newell, Shaw, and Simon, 1962) A method for attempting the solution of a problem or a rule or item of information used in such a process (The Compact Oxford English Dictionary, 1999)
Relating to or using a problem-solving technique in which the most appropriate solution of several found by alternative methods is selected at successive stages of a program for use in the next step of the program
In mathematical programming, this usually means a procedure that seeks a solution but does not guarantee it will find one It is often used in contrast to an algorithm, so branch and bound would not be considered a heuristic in this sense In AI, however, a heuristic is an algorithm (with some guarantees) that uses a heuristic function to estimate the "cost" of branching from a given node to a leaf of the search tree
Pertaining to experimental, especially trial-and-error, methods of problem solving Note: The resulting solution may not be the most desirable solution to the problem
A rule of thumb that describes how things are commonly understood, without resorting to deeper or more formal knowledge See also: Model-based reasoning
-An approach to systems or problem-solving using rules based on business practice, experience, or expert intuition rather than quantitative optimization
Heuristic is here used in the sense of stimulating interest as a means of further investigation, learning through trial and error, rather than the formal computational sense sometimes used in mathematics and computer programming The term is applied here to the World Builders Paradigm in its technical definition