A search problem refers to the task of finding a solution within some space of possible options, and that space could be made up of discrete steps or continuously varying values. For example, solving ...

Right now, quantum computers are small and error-prone compared to where they’ll likely be in a few years. Even within those limitations, however, there have been regular claims that the hardware can ...

For years, quantum computers have been framed as the ultimate problem solvers, machines that would eventually crack any task that classical hardware could not touch. Now a new line of research is ...

In a world run by computers, there is one algorithm that stands above all the rest. It powers search engines, encrypts your ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. If you want to solve a tricky problem, it often helps to get organized. You might, for example, break the problem into pieces and tackle ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about fitness, health and wearable tech Algorithms have taken on an almost mythical significance in the modern world. They ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Computer scientists often deal with abstract problems that are hard to comprehend, but an exciting new algorithm matters to anyone who ...

What’s the best way to solve hard problems? That’s the question at the heart of a subfield of computer science called computational complexity theory. It’s a hard question to answer, but flip it ...