The arrangement of objects or elements in a straight line or in proper relative positions; the process of adjusting components to achieve optimal positioning.
From French aligner 'to place in a line,' from à 'to' + ligne 'line' (from Latin linea). The word entered English in the 17th century, initially used in military contexts for arranging troops in formation.
In bioinformatics, sequence alignment is like finding the best way to match up DNA or protein sequences - it's essentially playing a sophisticated matching game to identify evolutionary relationships between organisms! The same mathematical principles apply whether you're aligning car wheels or genetic codes.
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