In algorithms, as in life, negativity can be a drag. Consider the problem of finding the shortest path between two points on a graph — a network of nodes connected by links, or edges. Often, these ...

Many experts believe that once quantum computers are big enough and reliable enough to solve useful problems, the most common deployment architecture will be to have them serve as accelerators for ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. If you’ve been making the same commute for a long time, you’ve probably settled on what seems like the best route. But “best” is a ...

If you’ve been making the same commute for a long time, you’ve probably settled on what seems like the best route. But “best” is a slippery concept. Perhaps one day there’s an accident or road closure ...

As governments look to regulate the online world, the scrutiny of the algorithms that sit behind popular websites and apps is only going to increase. With doubts over whether self-regulation can ever ...

Circle detection algorithms form a fundamental pillar in computer vision, enabling the identification of circular features across a wide range of applications from automated industrial inspection to ...

Quantum computers are coming. And when they arrive, they are going to upend the way we protect sensitive data. Unlike classical computers, quantum computers harness quantum mechanical effects — like ...

One of the most well-established and disruptive uses for a future quantum computer is the ability to crack encryption. A new algorithm could significantly lower the barrier to achieving this. Despite ...

The AI-generated algorithms are already being used by millions of developers. DeepMind’s run of discoveries in fundamental computer science continues. Last year the company used a version of its ...

Computer scientists have written a network flow algorithm that computes almost as fast as is mathematically possible. This algorithm computes the maximum traffic flow with minimum transport costs for ...

Building on a landmark algorithm, researchers propose a way to make a smaller and more noise-tolerant quantum factoring circuit for cryptography. The most recent email you sent was likely encrypted ...