If a traditional computer is like a locksmith testing one key at a time, a quantum computer can explore countless possibilities simultaneously. Problems that would take today’s most powerful computers ...

When checking that solutions to certain problems are correct, it turns out, you can’t get around the inherent complexity of ...

Researchers introduce CASPER, proving AI story tools strip away mystery and rely on overly predictable characters.

Junqiao Lin has won the best student paper award at STOC, a premier conference in theoretical computer science held in Salt ...

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.

From powering search engines to securing data and optimizing networks, algorithms underpin nearly every aspect of modern technology. Understanding how efficiently they can solve problems — and where ...

Pose a question to a Magic 8 Ball, and it’ll answer yes, no or something annoyingly indecisive. We think of it as a kid’s toy, but theoretical computer scientists employ a similar tool. They often ...

Elkind, a pioneer of algorithmic game theory, computational social choice, and artificial intelligence, joined Northwestern Engineering’s Department of Computer Science on November 1 as a Ginni ...

When the Clay Mathematics Institute put individual $1-million prize bounties on seven unsolved mathematical problems, they may have undervalued one entry—by a lot. If mathematicians were to resolve, ...

An international team of researchers has developed a new theoretical framework that bridges physics and biology to provide a unified approach for understanding how complexity and evolution emerge in ...