The first sentence on the Wikipedia page of algorithm: "In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is a self-contained sequence of actions to be perform

The first sentence on the Wikipedia page of algorithm: "In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is a self-contained sequence of actions to be performed. Algorithms can perform calculation, data processing and automated reasoning tasks. " An algorithm is a mathematical construct that happens to be useful with computers. See the first volume of The Art of Computer Programming for a nice formal definition of algorithm.