One notable exception? Taking apart numbers. In 1994, the mathematician Peter Shor devised an algorithm that would let quantum computers factor big numbers exponentially faster than classical machines ...

The bookshelf problem (which computer scientists call the “list labeling” problem) is one of the most basic topics in the field of data structures. “It’s the kind of problem you’d teach to freshman or ...

Albert said the proprietary number-picking algorithm for Powerball and Mega Millions, the two multistate games, analyzes every set of winning numbers since the games were launched in 1992 and 1996.

A research team has achieved the holy grail of quantum computing: an exponential speedup that’s unconditional. By using ...

Amsterdam’s struggles with its welfare fraud algorithm show us the stakes of deploying AI in situations that directly affect ...

From jury duty to tax audits, randomness plays a big role. Scientists used quantum physics to build a system that ensures those number draws can’t be gamed.

Pamela Weber Harris , a former high school math teacher contends in a new volume, Developing Mathematical Reasoning: Avoiding the Trap of Algorithms, that too many classrooms focus too much on ...

For Fibonacci numbers and the golden ratio, you can find one practical answer in search algorithms. It's fairly common to have to find the maximum or minimum of a mathematical function f(x) between ...

Peter Shor didn’t set out to break the internet. But an algorithm he developed in the mid-1990s threatened to do just that. In a landmark paper, Shor showed how a hypothetical computer that exploited ...

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) – He’s the Billy Beane of Olympic relays, using math and a massive database to win like the hero of “Moneyball.” One of the biggest reasons why Ital… ...