Among Several Successful Algorithms, Simpler Ones Usually Work Better: A Possible Explanation of an Empirical Observation

Often, several different algorithms can solve a certain practical prob-lem. Sometimes, algorithms which are successful in solving one problem can solve other problems as well. How can we decide which of the original algorithms is the most promising – i.e., which is more probable to be able to solve other problem? In many cases, the simplest algorithms turns out to be the most successful. In this paper, we provide a possible explanation for this empirical observation. 1 Empirical Fact Search for efficient algorithms. Many practical problems appear all the time. Often, several different algorithms are all successful in solving a certain specific practical problem. Once an algorithm is successful in solving a specific problem, it is reasonable to check if this algorithm – or its modification – can also be used to solve other similar problems. An empirical observation. In her plenary talk at the IEEE Series of Sym