HAKMEM, alternatively known as AI Memo

AI Memo

The AI Memos are a series of influential memorandums and technical reports published by the MIT AI Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA...

 239, is a February 1972 "memo" (technical report

Technical report

A technical report is a document that describes the process, progress, or results of technical or scientific research or the state of a technical or scientific research problem. It might also include recommendations and conclusions of the research...

) of the MIT AI Lab that describes a wide variety of hacks, primarily useful and clever algorithm

Algorithm

In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...

s for mathematical computation. There are also some schematic diagrams for hardware

Hardware

Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....

. Contributors included about two dozen members and associates of the AI Lab.

History

HAKMEM is notable as an early compendium

Compendium

A compendium is a concise, yet comprehensive compilation of a body of knowledge. A compendium may summarize a larger work. In most cases the body of knowledge will concern some delimited field of human interest or endeavour , while a "universal" encyclopedia can be referred to as a compendium of...

 of algorithmic technique

Technique

A technique is a procedure used to accomplish a specific activity or task:* Technology, the study of or a collection of techniques*Skill, the ability to perform a task* Scientific technique, any systematic method to obtain information of a scientific nature...

, particularly for its practical bent, and as an illustration of the wide-ranging interests

Interests

An interest may be a pastime or hobby and relate to some asset or property.Uses may include:*Hobby pastime*An interest in property or another asset...

 of AI Lab people of the time, which included almost anything other than AI research.

HAKMEM contains original work in some fields, notably continued fractions.

Introduction

Its introduction

Introduction

Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to:* Introduction , an opening section of a piece of music* Introduction , a beginning section which states the purpose and goals of the following writing...

 is:

Compiled with the hope that a record of the random things people do around here can save some duplication

Duplication

Duplication, duplicate, and duplicator may refer to:Art and fiction* Duplicate , a Bollywood film directed by Mahesh Bhatt* Duplicate , a 2009 Malayalam film...

 of effort -- except for fun.

Here is some little known data

Data

The term data refers to qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, or observations of a set of variables. Data are often viewed as the lowest level of abstraction from which...

 which may be of interest to computer hackers. The items and examples are so sketchy that to decipher them may require more sincerity

Sincerity

Sincerity is the virtue of one who speaks and acts truly about his or her own feelings, thoughts, and desires.-Sincerity in Western societies:Sincerity has not been consistently regarded as a virtue in Western culture...

and curiosity than a non-hacker can muster. Doubtless, little of this is new, but nowadays it's hard to tell. So we must be content to give you an insight, or save you some cycles, and to welcome further contributions of items, new or used.

External links

• Its official record at the AI Memos collection
• HAKMEM as browseable pages
• [ftp://publications.ai.mit.edu/ai-publications/pdf/AIM-239.pdf HAKMEM facsimile (PDF)] (searchable version)