heuristic rule
- noun
- /hjʊˈrɪstɪk ruːl/
- In problem-solving, applying a heuristic rule, such as breaking the task into smaller steps, can increase efficiency.
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Watch on YouTubeSo there are broad heuristic rules that we can give to to work in these situations.
- So there are broad heuristic rules that we can give to to work in these situations.
Examples
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The ticker subagent utilizes several heuristic rules for identifying the best match, applying them in the following order:
Academic text (2005) -
This heuristic rule can fail and is therefore verified using the position in the taxonomy hierarchy of the already assigned tags of neighboring line items.
Academic text (2005) -
So there are broad heuristic rules that we can give to to work in these situations.
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This includes heuristic rules, such as "experts are correct," and attitudes formed through various learning processes such as classical conditioning.
Academic text (1998) -
While strictly speaking, this task is ill-defined, the performance of the ticker subagent is often comparable to that of a human being given the same task, and therefore quite useful even though it implements only a few simple heuristic rules (see the next section), and is an extreme example of the weak-AI approach.
Academic text (2005) -
Teachers often use a heuristic rule to help students estimate the answers instead of calculating them exactly.
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One useful heuristic rule is to trust your first instinct when making decisions, as it is often based on experience.
Synonyms
344
3.1
A general rule that helps you decide what to do
31
3.8
A simple practical way to do or decide things from experience that is not exact
3
8.0
A simple rule people use to find solutions by trial and error
3
4.7
A rule or idea that helps people choose the right action
How Useful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is compositionally derived: 'heuristic' (based on trial-and-error or practical judgment) modifies 'rule' (a guiding principle), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer 'a practical guideline based on experience.' The adjective+noun pattern is a standard, cross-linguistic composition, making the phrase readily interpretable from its parts.
Etymology
Heuristic rule comes from a word that means 'to find', so imagine a short rule that helps you look for an answer quickly. The parts heuristic (a way to find) and rule (a simple guide) show why it means a quick, practical 'rule of thumb' for solving hard problems.