The great science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, in a classic novel called the Foundation, posited an advanced mathematical-rhetorical technology that could convert any speech to symbols, which could in turn be simplified like any other complex equation.

FORBES: Responding to Obama's Budget Plan

Taha Yasseri, a physicist at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, created a mathematical model that takes into account data such as the number of readers and editors for the Wikipedia page.

FORBES: Using Wikipedia To Predict The Box Office Of A Movie

In our struggle to manage billions of bytes of data, technology spawned the use of algorithms (mathematical formulas) that monitor words and phrases to expose and even predict problematic behaviors.

FORBES: Who's Been Duped? The Manti Te'o Hoax.

As a professor in the department of brain and cognitive sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he's using a combination of mathematical modeling, computer simulation and behavioral experiments to explain how people learn new things.

FORBES: Magazine Article

In this case, technology needs to be partnered with sophisticated behavioral targeting through mathematical models that enable you to predict the most compelling content and offers based on known insights and data points about each visitor.

FORBES: Why Digital Marketers Need to Get More Personal