The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. For computer scientists, solving problems is a bit like mountaineering. First they must choose a problem to solve—akin to identifying a ...

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 ...

A University of Kentucky student from Georgetown is among the fastest Rubik’s Cube solvers in the world, completing the puzzle in under five seconds.

In a breakthrough that brings to mind Lucky Luke – the man who shoots faster than his shadow – Rasmus Kyng and his team have developed a superfast algorithm that looks set to transform an entire field ...

At the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, a bunch of students just invented a machine called Ruby, which can solve a Rubik’s Cube in 10.69 seconds—the fastest ever for a robot. The robot ...

Children as young as 4 years old are capable of finding efficient solutions to complex problems, such as independently inventing sorting algorithms developed by computer scientists. The scientists ...

Since the very first days of computer science — a field known for its methodical approach to problem-solving — randomness has played an important role. The first program to run on the world’s first ...