Algorithms

Jelani Nelson designs clever algorithms that only have to remember slivers of massive data sets. He also teaches kids in Ethiopia how to code.

After 44 years, there’s finally a better way to find approximate solutions to the notoriously difficult traveling salesperson problem.

Two computer scientists found — in the unlikeliest of places — just the idea they needed to make a big leap in graph theory.

A powerful technique called SAT solving could work on the notorious Collatz conjecture. But it’s a long shot.

By translating Keller’s conjecture into a computer-friendly search for a type of graph, researchers have finally resolved a problem about covering spaces with tiles.

Researchers are one step closer to injecting probability into deterministic machines.

Computer scientists established a new boundary on computationally verifiable knowledge. In doing so, they solved major open problems in quantum mechanics and pure mathematics.

Barbara Liskov pioneered the modern approach to writing code. She warns that the challenges facing computer science today can’t be overcome with good design alone.

After millions of games, machine learning algorithms found creative solutions and unexpected new strategies that could transfer to the real world.