Heuristic
problem-solving method that is sufficient for quick, short-term solutions/approximations / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A heuristic is a practical way to solve a problem. It is better than chance, but does not always work. A person develops a heuristic by using intelligence, experience, and common sense. Trial and error is the simplest heuristic, but one of the weakest. Rule of thumb and 'educated guesses' are other names for simple heuristics. Since a heuristic is not certain to get a result, there are always exceptions.
Sometimes heuristics are rather vague: 'look before you leap' is a guide to behaviour, but 'think about the consequences' is a bit clearer. Sometimes a heuristic is a whole set of stages. When doctors examines a patient, they go through a whole set of tests and observations. They may not find out what is wrong, but they give themselves the best chance of succeeding. This is called a diagnosis.
In computer science, a 'heuristic' is a kind of algorithm. Algorithms are written to get a good solution to a problem. A heuristic algorithm might usually find pretty good solutions, but there is no guarantee or proof that the solutions are correct. The time it takes to run the algorithm is another consideration.