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heuristic rule

heuristic rule

7.0
A simple practical way to decide what to do from experience to solve problems faster
  • noun
  • /hjʊˈrɪstɪk ruːl/
translation icon : regla heurística
  • In problem-solving, applying a heuristic rule, such as breaking the task into smaller steps, can increase efficiency.

So there are broad heuristic rules that we can give to to work in these situations.

Examples

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • One useful heuristic rule is to trust your first instinct when making decisions, as it is often based on experience.

Synonyms

guideline
vsheuristic rule
344 3.1

A general rule that helps you decide what to do

focuses on practical experience to raise problem solving success
rule of thumb
vsheuristic rule
  • Informal
31 3.8

A simple practical way to do or decide things from experience that is not exact

aims to improve the likelihood of solving a problem effectively
heuristic
vsheuristic rule
  • Specialized
3 8.0

A simple rule people use to find solutions by trial and error

focuses specifically on increasing chances of solving problems effectively
guidepost
vsheuristic rule
3 4.7

A rule or idea that helps people choose the right action

is aimed at improving problem solving by using practical experience

How Useful

algorithm
  • Specialized
152 6.1
heuristic rule
7.0
method
2.2
procedure
688 3.7
guideline
344 3.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

heuristic + rule

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.