In the most general sense, an algorithm is a series of instructions telling a computer how to transform a set of facts about the world into useful information. The facts are data, and the useful ...

For example, you could mix demographic information with terrain data to show how population is affected by physical geography. Data like this can help quickly prove or disprove hypotheses.

Computers are good at identifying patterns in huge data sets. Humans, by contrast, are good at inferring patterns from just a few examples. Researchers have developed a new system that bridges ...