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What Is An Algorithm?

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What is an algorithm? According to the textbook, an algorithm is a set of specific sequential steps that describe exactly what the computer program must do to complete the required work. Figure 10.4, on page 426, shows the stages that each programming project follows. Step two is where the algorithm is, which is “making the plan.” The example the book uses is the pharmaceutical companies designing new drugs. When they design new drugs, they have to use complex computer programs that model molecules. The computer software programs help chemists create the new drug in a quicker manner that give the desired pharmacological effects.
Some other things that may be used in the medical field are calculators, flowcharts, look-up tables, and nomograms (Medical Algorithm). According to the medical dictionary, an algorithm is a model for making decisions. It shows the step-by-step process that a doctor or pharmacist would use. The process begins with a patient describing symptoms or problems that he or she has to a doctor. A doctor’s first instinct is to gather all the information and then analyzes the symptoms or problems. The next step is for the doctor to run a diagnostic test after gathering all of the information in order to recommend the best solution for the patient’s symptoms or problems. There are two different ways that the diagnostic test can go. The first option is the diagnostic test will tell exactly what is wrong with the patient and will recommend specific treatments

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