Abstract: The Nelder-Mead simplex method is a well-known algorithm enabling the minimization of functions that are not available in closed-form and that need not be differentiable or convex.

John Nash’s idea of equilibrium transformed the way we understand decision-making. A Nash equilibrium occurs when every player in a game has chosen the best strategy possible, given what others are ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Imagine a town with two widget merchants. Customers prefer cheaper widgets, so the merchants must compete to set the lowest price.

Four years ago, I was given a fantastic opportunity to be a math coach for a primary years program. But when I started, there was no framework to work within, no script to follow. I was starting from ...

Some say the reason most manhole covers are round is that a circle cannot fall through a smaller circular hole. Which of these other two-dimensional shapes cannot fall through a hole that is the same ...

Spoiler warning: This article contains spoilers through the first four episodes of Squid Game: The Challenge season 2. If you haven’t watched the first batch of episodes yet, bookmark this and come ...

The idea that we might be living inside a vast computer simulation, much like in The Matrix, has fascinated philosophers and scientists for years. But a new study from researchers at the University of ...

One string in each of the following pairs can be unraveled into a circle—the so-­called unknot. Which one is it? Show puzzle solution The knots at the top left and the bottom right can be unraveled ...

Russell has a PhD in the history of medicine, violence, and colonialism. His research has explored topics including ethics, science governance, and medical involvement in violent contexts. Russell has ...

Drawing on Rothbard's essay on inequality and the division of labor, Dr. Lucas Engelhardt argues that human diversity is the very foundation of comparative advantage and prosperity, and that ...

Ever wonder how nodes are incentivized in a blockchain to ensure trust, consensus and cooperation in a system with no central authority? The answer lies in game theory, the mathematical study of ...