This section begins with an introduction to the etymology of the word "Algorithm". Following this a few basic algorithms are detailed. Knuth also outlines the five important features of an algorithm:
1) Finiteness. An algorithm must terminate after a finite number of steps.
2) Definiteness. Each step in an algorithm must be precisely defined.
3) Input. An algorithm has zero or more inputs.
4) Output. An algorithm has one or more outputs.
5) Effectiveness. An algorithm should have exactly the required number of steps it needs, and no more.
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