This is the shorter World Service edition of More or Less, first broadcast on the 29th of July.

And if you listen to the Longer Radio 4 version, you will have heard this item about algorithms and socks already.

Hello and welcome to more or less on the BBC World Service.

We're a program that looks at the numbers in the news and in life,

and I'm Tim Harford.

This week what can computer algorithms teach us about how to make more efficient decisions in everyday

life?

This is the topic of a new book called Algorithms to Live By, in which Brian Christian and his co-author Tom Griffiths

argue that the techniques of computer science can help us manage everyday situations in a logical and efficient manner. I spoke to Brian about his book.

It is a discipline that is about how to make efficient decisions, procedures that are

optimized for problems that life throws at us.

Speaking of challenges, we have more or less team member Jordan Dunbar,

and his challenge is to sort through his socks.

And I think this is a classic problem that we all face.

Right, I'm going to root about in my drawer here.

First of all, let's get rid of the underpants.

They are unnecessary to this experiment. Goodbye. Okay first pick we have a

long black sock with a blue heel. I have ten pairs of socks mixed up in here. So next pick, long black sock, no pattern.

Through that back in. A black sock, red heel and a hole.

Nope, back in.

A long black sock with a green heel of similar design,

but not a match.

...