Serial Algorithms
Serial algorithms are computational procedures that execute a sequence of operations one at a time, in a single stream of control, without parallelism. They form the foundation of algorithm design, where tasks are processed sequentially from start to finish. This contrasts with parallel algorithms, which divide work across multiple processing units simultaneously.
Developers should learn serial algorithms as they are essential for understanding fundamental problem-solving techniques, such as sorting, searching, and dynamic programming, which apply across all programming domains. They are crucial when working with single-threaded environments, legacy systems, or problems where parallelism adds unnecessary complexity, such as simple data processing or sequential logic flows.