The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Imagine a town with two widget merchants. Customers prefer cheaper widgets, so the merchants must compete to set the lowest price.

Imagine a town with two widget merchants. Customers prefer cheaper widgets, so the merchants must compete to set the lowest price. Unhappy with their meager profits, they meet one night in a ...

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 ...

Meta announced on Tuesday a new Facebook algorithm update that will showcase more Reels videos tailored to users’ preferences. The update includes features that offer users greater control over the ...

On a scorching July afternoon in Shanghai, dozens of Chinese students hunch over tablet screens, engrossed in English, math and physics lessons. Algorithms track every keystroke, and the seconds spent ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Kian Bakhtiari writes about Gen-Z marketing and social impact. The transition from broadcast media, intended to reach the masses, ...

Every time a new slang word gets coined on the Internet, linguist Adam Aleksic is thrilled. “It’s definitely good for me in that I stay in business,” says Aleksic, who studies the origins of words and ...

Nearly 300 Burmese pythons were removed during a record-setting Florida Python Challenge this year, state wildlife officials said. The 10-day competition that ran from July 11-20 resulted in a record ...

You’re at the checkout screen after an online shopping spree, ready to enter your credit card number. You type it in and instantly see a red error message ...

How do the algorithms that populate our social media feeds actually work? In a piece for Time Magazine excerpted from his recent book Robin Hood Math, Noah Giansiracusa sheds light on the algorithms ...

Ever wondered how social media platforms decide how to fill our feeds? They use algorithms, of course, but how do these algorithms work? A series of corporate leaks over the past few years provides a ...