: What is the difference between method and algorithm? Could you please let me know the difference between method and algorithm? Can a method be computed into an algorithm? Can an algorithm be based

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I would say, in plain English, a "method" is an approach to accomplishing something without any guarantee of success.

An "algorithm" implies greater accuracy, dealing with well-defined and consistent objects with a greater certainty of reaching a specific goal.

The terms are definitely confused in usage between these two things, but in general I think this would be a good division of meaning between the two.

e.g. I could have a general method for dealing with employee conflicts, but it doesn't rise to an "algorithm" because people and their conflicts are too varied to produce a step-by-step solution that always works. Each situation requires individualized understanding and thought. There is no "one size fits all" solution.

Whereas, something like a recipe for baking a cake is very much an algorithm, the ingredients and methods are very well-defined, and following the instructions precisely without error will result in a cake.

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From the perspective of computing, a method is typically a small, named (and thus callable) set of instructions to produce some result. The method can be simple or complex. It can be an algorithm. An algorithm also produces a result but typically is more complex and more rigorous. An algorithm may be implemented as a single method or a large set of inter-related methods.

A simple method might be Min(A, B) which returns the smaller of the two values. You could call the "if A less than B then return A else return B" an algorithm. You would be right but you would also get funny (and dismissive) looks from most computer scientists.

An algorithm might be the logic to detect an edge in region of a picture. In a well-written algorithm, there would be many small (and thus testable) methods stitched together to accomplish the detection.

This is a fuzzy set of terms. That said, there may be some precise definitions somewhere but I worked as a software engineer for decades without ever needing them.

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