Galactic algorithm
Classification of algorithm
A galactic algorithm is an algorithm with record-breaking theoretical (asymptotic) performance, but which is not used due to practical constraints. Typical reasons are that the performance gains only appear for problems that are so large they never occur, or the algorithm's complexity outweighs a relatively small gain in real-world performance. Galactic algorithms were so named by Richard Lipton and Ken Regan, because they will never be used on any data sets on Earth.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Galactic algorithm” is classification of algorithm. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Galactic, algorithm and Classification, not as a finished interpretation.
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This entry incorporates text from “Galactic algorithm” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.