Algorithms that zero in on solutions to optimization problems are the beating heart of machine reasoning. New results reveal surprising limits. Our lives are a succession of optimization problems.

A function is a rule that is applied to one set of values to give another set of values. A function can be illustrated on a graph – points are plotted as coordinates and joined by either a straight ...

The presence of satellite cities within large metropolitan areas cannot be captured by an exponential function. Cubic spline functions seem more appropriate to depict the polycentric pattern of modern ...