Occasionally the algorithms will produce a misstep, like a story stating that a pinch hitter—who usually bats only once per game—went two for six. But such errors are rare.

We need to devise a two-step procedure: First encrypt a credit card number and then decrypt it, so that if we follow both steps we get back the original number.

To multiply two numbers by hand takes a few steps but it's something we're taught in school. When dealing with big numbers, really big numbers, we need to a quicker way to do things.

Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire have developed a new algorithm that will allow robots to function more intuitively—that is, make decisions using their environment for guidance.