Longest common subsequence
Algorithmic problem on pairs of sequences
Why this is trending
Interest in “Longest common subsequence” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-02-26.
Categorised under Technology, this article fits a familiar pattern. wt.cat.technology.1
GlyphSignal tracks these patterns daily, turning raw Wikipedia traffic data into a curated feed of what the world is curious about. Every spike tells a story.
Key Takeaways
- A longest common subsequence ( LCS ) is the longest subsequence common to all sequences in a set of sequences.
- The problem of computing longest common subsequences is a classic computer science problem.
- It has similar applications in computational linguistics and bioinformatics.
A longest common subsequence (LCS) is the longest subsequence common to all sequences in a set of sequences. It differs from the longest common substring: unlike substrings, subsequences are not required to occupy consecutive positions within the original sequences. The problem of computing longest common subsequences is a classic computer science problem. Because it is polynomial and has an efficient algorithm to solve it, it is employed to compare data and merge changes to files in programs such as the diff utility and revision control systems such as Git. It has similar applications in computational linguistics and bioinformatics.
Content sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0