British Museum algorithm

proper noun

A search procedure which involves generating and checking all possible scenarios.

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Meanings

proper nounthe British Museum algorithm
  1. computingA search procedure which involves generating and checking all possible scenarios.

Origin

Named by Newell, Shaw, and Simon in allusion to the inefficient idea of placing monkeys in front of typewriters in order to reproduce all the books in the British Museum.

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Cite this entry
APA

British Museum algorithm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/British%20Museum%20algorithm

MLA

“British Museum algorithm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/British%20Museum%20algorithm. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “British Museum algorithm,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/British%20Museum%20algorithm.

Source: British Museum algorithm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.