👉 Cookies, often used in web development, are small text files that websites store on a user's device to remember information about their browsing habits. When a user visits a site with cookies enabled, the server sends a cookie back to the user's browser. This cookie contains data like the user's preferences, login status, or items added to a shopping cart. The math behind cookies involves using algorithms to manage and update this data efficiently, often employing techniques like hash functions to ensure unique identifiers for each user session. For instance, when a user adds items to their cart, the server might use a hash function on the item's unique identifier and the user's session ID to generate a cookie value. This allows the server to quickly retrieve and update the cart's contents without needing to store every item individually, making web interactions smoother and more responsive.
