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Grid computing means applying the resources of many networked computers to a single problem at the same time – usually a problem that requires a great number of computer processing cycles or access to large amounts of data. NASA developed the process and a well-known example of grid computing is SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
Grid computing requires software that can divide and farm out pieces of a program to as many as several thousand computers. It is a more cost-effective use of a given amount of computer resources and offers a way to solve problems that cannot be approached without an enormous amount of computing power.
An algorithm is a procedure or formula for solving a problem. A computer program is regarded as an elaborate algorithm. In maths and computer science an algorithm usually means a small procedure that solves a recurrent problem.
Open source refers to an operating system that is normally composed of coordinated modular components from a number of sources and not dependent upon any proprietary elements.