Automatic algorithm selection (AAS) is the underlying technology that enables Mathematica to select and apply the best algorithm(s) for a given task.

System-wide implementation of AAS is unique to Mathematica and a key distinguishing feature: other technical computing systems make the user specify a single algorithm (not just the task) by hand, often from a confusing array of possibilities. Get the selection wrong and your computation could fail or, worse still, produce an inaccurate answer.

That's why AAS capabilities are crucial for enabling users to get reliable results quickly--even without a specialist's algorithmic knowledge. And for the specialist, Mathematica's ability to perform AAS mid-calculation can optimize a computation beyond what could be manually selected.

Mathematica pioneered AAS in its first release in 1988. Since then, the range of available and implemented algorithms, the sophistication of selection, and the number of functions for which AAS operates have all greatly increased.