Abstract: Rapidly-exploring random tree star (RRT*) has attracted intensive attention in track planning due to its asymptotic optimal properties. However, the RRT* algorithm plans costly trajectory ...

Eeny, meeny, miny, mo, catch a tiger by the toe – so the rhyme goes. But even children know that counting-out rhymes like this are no help at making a truly random choice. Perhaps you remember when ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. If you want to solve a tricky problem, it often helps to get organized. You might, for example, break the problem into pieces and tackle ...

Adding numbers to your passwords makes them more secure. In fact, most sites and services these days require alphanumeric passwords at the very least. Some people ...

The odds are not in your favor when it comes to winning the Powerball’s staggering $1.3 billion jackpot on Wednesday night, but there are a few things you can to tip the scales ever-so-slightly in ...

You’re at the checkout screen after an online shopping spree, ready to enter your credit card number. You type it in and instantly see a red error message ...

Ever wondered how social media platforms decide how to fill our feeds? They use algorithms, of course, but how do these algorithms work? A series of corporate leaks over the past few years provides a ...

James is a published author with multiple pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, space, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.View full profile James is a ...

The universe now has an open, quantum-powered dice roll—free, provable, and ready for anyone to use. Credit: Shutterstock NIST’s CURBy beacon transforms quantum “spooky action” into certified random ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Very little in this life is truly random. A coin flip is influenced ...

A team including CU PREP researchers and scientists from CU Boulder and NIST have built the first random number generator using quantum entanglement to produce verifiable random numbers. Dubbed CURBy, ...