Vol. 3, Issue 1, Part G (2017)

Abstract
An algorithm is a precise, step-by-step set of instructions for solving a task. An algorithm doesn’t solve a task; it gives you a series of steps that, if executed correctly, will result in a solution to a task. You use algorithms every day but you often do not explicitly think about the individual steps of the algorithm. Nowadays computers are used to solve incredibly complex problems. Butin order to manage with a problem we should develop an algorithm. Sometimes the human brain is not able to accomplish this task. Moreover, exact algorithms might need centuries to manage with formidable challenges. In such cases heuristic algorithms that find approximate solutions but have acceptable time and space complexity play indispensable role. In this paper heuristics, their areas of application and the basic underlying ideas are surveyed. We also describe in more detail some modern heuristic techniques, namely Evolutionary Algorithms, Genetic algorithm and neural network.