knapsack problem

noun

, Mathematics.

1. the problem of determining which numbers from a given collection of numbers have been added together to yield a specific sum: used in cryptography to encipher (and sometimes decipher) messages.

Word History and Origins

Origin of knapsack problem¹

So called because the problem is similar to determining what packages are in a closed knapsack when the weights of the individual packages and the filled knapsack are known