An answer engine takes a user's question and automatically breaks it into smaller, more specific sub-questions to find answers independently. What is this process called?

Query fan-out is the process where an answer engine takes a complex user query and breaks it down into multiple, simpler sub-queries. This allows the engine to search for answers to each sub-query independently, then synthesize these smaller pieces of information to construct a comprehensive answer to the original, broader question. This method enhances the engine's ability to tackle multifaceted inquiries. Source evaluation is about assessing the credibility and relevance of information sources, not breaking down queries. Passage-level extraction focuses on identifying and extracting specific relevant text segments from documents, rather than the query decomposition itself. Content freshness scanning is a process to ensure information is up-to-date, unrelated to query restructuring.