Heuristic

06Jul10

Heuristic (pronounced /hjʉˈrɪstɨk/, from the Greek “Εὑρίσκω” for “find” or “discover”) is an adjective for experience-based techniques that help in problem solving, learning and discovery. A heuristic method is used to come to a solution rapidly that is hoped to be close to the best possible answer, or ‘optimal solution’. A heuristic is a “rule of thumb”, an educated guess, an intuitive judgment or simply common sense. A heuristic is a general way of solving a problem.

In more precise terms, heuristics stand for strategies using readily accessible, though loosely applicable, information to control problem solving in human beings and machines.

Here are a few other commonly used heuristics, from Polya’s 1945 book, How to Solve It:

If you are having difficulty understanding a problem, try drawing a picture.

If you can’t find a solution, try assuming that you have a solution and seeing what you can derive from that (“working backward”).

If the problem is abstract, try examining a concrete example.

Try solving a more general problem first (the “inventor’s paradox”: the more ambitious plan may have more chances of success).

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Tags: abstract thinking, discovery, heuristic, learning, perception, problem, problem solving