Attacking complex problems using preprocessing
A lot of services that we enjoy every day, for example commuting by train or ordering some product from a web-shop, give rise to very complex problems, like making the daily train schedule or deciding how all the products that have been ordered should be delivered. How can we efficiently solve such problems? In this article I will explain how a method called preprocessing works.
How to plan Valentine’s day using a matching algorithm
Finding a dating schedule that matches pairs of potential lovers up into dating couples, is an example of an algorithmic problem. There is a clearly defined input, given by the lists of who is considered an acceptable dating partner to whom. It is also clear what we want as the output: a pairing of classmates into acceptable boy-girl pairs that has as many pairs (dates) as possible. How can you find the best dating schedule?
Artificial intelligence for two-year olds
One of my biggest pleasures of life is to watch my children learn things that we take for granted. Some months ago my daughter learned the skill of jumping. I asked myself how to teach a machine to do this.
An elephant in the room
Do you see the elephant in this picture? This is not so easy for a computer, even if it is "intelligent".
Finding the shortest route to your holiday destination: Dijkstra's algorithm
Nowadays we have route planners such as TomTom and Google Maps to make driving to a holiday destination a lot simpler. In this article we explain the science behind these route planners.