A solution to P vs NP could unlock countless computational problems—or keep them forever out of reach. 1. On Monday, July 19, 2021, in the middle of another strange pandemic summer, a leading computer ...

A striking new proof in quantum computational complexity might best be understood with a playful thought experiment. Run a bath, then dump a bunch of floating bar magnets into the water. Each magnet ...

Nobel laureate economist Richard Thaler famously quipped: People aren’t dumb, the world is hard. Indeed, we routinely encounter problems in our everyday lives that feel complex – from choosing the ...

Early on in the study of quantum computers, computer scientists posed a question whose answer, they knew, would reveal something deep about the power of these futuristic machines. Twenty-five years ...

Studying the epic journey of the iconic jumping plumber can lead to new insights in theoretical computer science—and may help researchers understand the tractability of problems in other areas.

The game of chess has long been central to computer science and AI-related research, most notably in IBM’s Deep Blue in the 1990s and, more recently, AlphaZero. But the game is about more than ...

Computing is part of everything we do. Computing drives innovation in engineering, business, entertainment, education, and the sciences—and it provides solutions to complex, challenging problems of ...