The bookshelf problem (which computer scientists call the “list labeling” problem) is one of the most basic topics in the field of data structures. “It’s the kind of problem you’d teach to freshman or ...

Ever wondered what was the most efficient way to alphabetize a giant pile of books? Check out the perfect real-world algorithm for just such a task.

Computer scientists often deal with abstract problems that are hard to comprehend, but an exciting new algorithm matters to anyone who owns books and at least one shelf. The algorithm addresses ...

Three new books warn against turning into the person the algorithm thinks you are. Like a lot of Netflix subscribers, I find that my personal feed tends to be hit or miss. Usually more miss. The ...

FILTERWORLD: How Algorithms Flattened Culture | By Kyle Chayka | Doubleday | 304 pp. | $28 Alexandra Jacobs is a book critic and the author of “Still Here: The Madcap, Nervy, Singular Life of ...