Descriptive set theorists study the niche mathematics of infinity. Now, they’ve shown that their problems can be rewritten in the concrete language of algorithms. All of modern mathematics is built on ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. All of modern mathematics is built on the foundation of set theory, the study of how to organize abstract collections of objects. But in ...

Suggested Citation: "Part One: The Essential Character of Computer Science1 The Essential Character of Computer Science." National Research Council. 2004. Computer Science: Reflections on the Field, ...

Data is stored differently depending on its type. Numbers are stored as integers or real numbers, text as string or characters. Algorithms are created to allow users to tell a computer how to solve a ...