What makes an algorithm
An algorithm is a finite set of clear, ordered steps that solves a problem. A recipe is an everyday algorithm. Programs are algorithms written in a language a computer can translate, so every program starts as one.
By the end of this page you can
- Define an algorithm
- Name the five features of a good algorithm
- Put the steps of an algorithm in order
Goals tick themselves off as you try the activities below.
Photo: Spideog, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Maker’s logo and part number blurred, resized, JPEG q74.
Flowchart or pseudocode, an algorithm is the same thing: clear steps in order.
How often it shows up in past papers
All papers1 of 14 papers
Last 50 of 5 · 2019–2025
Paper 1 counts come from our past-paper bank of CSEC Information Technology Paper 1s. The last-5 row shows how often it came up in the five most recent papers.
Inside this topic
- What it isLocked
- Five featuresLocked
- Build an algorithmgameLocked
- Key termsLocked
- Test yourselfmarkedLocked