<P> Heuristics may produce results by themselves, or they may be used in conjunction with optimization algorithms to improve their efficiency (e.g., they may be used to generate good seed values). </P> <P> Results about NP - hardness in theoretical computer science make heuristics the only viable option for a variety of complex optimization problems that need to be routinely solved in real - world applications . </P> <P> Heuristics underlie the whole field of Artificial Intelligence and the computer simulation of thinking, as they may be used in situations where there are no known algorithms . </P> <P> The trade - off criteria for deciding whether to use a heuristic for solving a given problem include the following: </P>

Whats the difference between an algorithm and a heuristic