Answering the Question, and Vice Versa

Experts are adept at answering questions in their fields, but even
the most knowledgeable authority can.t be expected to keep up with
all the data generated today. Computers can handle data, but until
now, they were inept at understanding questions posed in
conversational language. Watson, the IBM computer that won the
Jeopardy! Challenge, is an example of a computer that can answer
questions using informal, nuanced, even pun-filled, phrases. Graph
theory, formal logic, and statistics help create the algorithms
used for answering questions in a timely manner.not at all
elementary. Watson.s creators are working to create technology that
can do much more than win a TV game show. Programmers are aiming
for systems that will soon respond quickly with expert answers to
real-world problems.from the fairly straightforward, such as
providing technical support, to the more complex, such as
responding to queries from doctors in search of the correct medical
diagnosis. Most of the research involves computer science, but
mathematics will help to expand applications to other industries
and to scale down the size and cost of the hardware that makes up
these modern question-answering systems. For More Information:
Final Jeopardy: Man vs. Machine and the Quest to Know Everything,
Stephen Baker, 2011.