Written by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated August 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โข Last updated August 2025
Definition
An approximate solution is a solution that is not exact or precise, but rather an estimation or close enough answer to a problem. It provides a reasonable and practical result without the need for complete accuracy.
A heuristic is a problem-solving approach that uses practical methods or rules of thumb to find solutions quickly, even if they are not guaranteed to be optimal.