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A Solution of the P versus NP Problem?

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171–180 of 303 posts

Re: A Solution of the P versus NP Problem?

#171
post #39

Scott Aaronson on "suppose someone sends you a complicated solution to a famous decades-old math problem, like P vs. NP. How can you decide, in ten minutes or less, whether the solution is worth reading?": http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=304

"At some point, there might be nothing left to do except to roll up your sleeves, brew some coffee, and tell your graduate student to read the paper and report back to you."

So there's your real answer.

Re: A Solution of the P versus NP Problem?

#172
post #83

Interesting that this is the second P!=NP proof from a University of Bonn researcher. Other one, by Mathias Hauptmann, is here: https://arxiv.org/abs/1602.04781 I never did hear the status of Hauptmann's proof (I'm not connected to academia so only know what I've read on the internet), but given it's been over a year without word, presumably there's something flawed. I might not get too excited over this proof, eithe…

How does the paper of Hauptmann prove P != NP?

Sigma_2^p != NP as far as I know and after a brief skimming the paper does not mention P != NP.

Edit: the paper does indeed mention P != NP in the form of P != Sigma_2^p => P != Sigma_1^p = NP. Please disregard my comment.

Re: A Solution of the P versus NP Problem?

#173
post #172
post #83

Interesting that this is the second P!=NP proof from a University of Bonn researcher. Other one, by Mathias Hauptmann, is here: https://arxiv.org/abs/1602.04781 I never did hear the status of Hauptmann's proof (I'm not connected to academia so only know what I've read on the internet), but given it's been over a year without word, presumably there's something flawed. I might not get too excited over this proof, eithe…

How does the paper of Hauptmann prove P != NP? Sigma_2^p != NP as far as I know and after a brief skimming the paper does not mention P != NP. Edit: the paper does indeed mention P != NP in the form of P != Sigma_2^p => P != Sigma_1^p = NP. Please disregard my comment.

P = NP implies the polynomial hierarchy collapses, thus P = Sigma2, so by contradiction P != NP.

Re: A Solution of the P versus NP Problem?

#174
If p != np, then comp sci will lose much of its appeal. There is an underlying hope behind the field that p = np, otherwise most problems of interest are intractable, and programmers are no longer masters of the universe.

This is probably why there is not a proof yet, since the truth is undesirable.

Re: A Solution of the P versus NP Problem?

#175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seconded. The flaws in these papers are not hard to find. They usually amount to misunderstanding of definitions or the results they cite.

Unlikely considering the author of the paper. I'm basing that on other comments on the thread which this section seems to be missing, e.g.: > ...this guy is an established senior researcher at the University of Bonn

Even experienced people can make "silly" mistakes. https://arxiv.org/abs/1612.04208v1

Re: A Solution of the P versus NP Problem?

#177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If only we had a way to make finding the flaw as easy as verifying the flaw

I don't think it would be possible to make finding it as easy as verifying it, but how can we prove that?

Finding flaws in proofs is as easy as verifying them. After all, finding a flaw amounts to just checking a proof. Finding a proof is the truly hard challenge.

Re: A Solution of the P versus NP Problem?

#178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you one of those people who equates any mention whatsoever of Trump as "being needlessly political"?

Not at all. But bringing him up in an unrelated post on a technical blog just screams "virtue signaling" to me.

>virtue signaling

You know that was an interesting and useful concept before you guys decided to turn into yet another empty insult to fling at people.

Re: A Solution of the P versus NP Problem?

#179
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's even less useful, even if P = NP it is possible that no one finds an algorithm. Creating a (useful) algorithm is independent of proving the theorem. Also interesting is that someone could create an algorithm that solves NP complete in polynomial time without proving P=NP. They would be unable to prove the algorithm correct though.

Actually, we already know an algorithm that solves an NP complete problem in polynomial time iff P = NP. We can just enumerate all programs and ask them to generate witnesses. As we can decide whether a witness is valid and there is a program that always outputs a valid witness if P=NP, we can find that program within finite steps and the algorithm is correct.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but enumerating all programs doesn't seem polytime

Re: A Solution of the P versus NP Problem?

#180
post #174

If p != np, then comp sci will lose much of its appeal. There is an underlying hope behind the field that p = np, otherwise most problems of interest are intractable, and programmers are no longer masters of the universe. This is probably why there is not a proof yet, since the truth is undesirable.

> If p != np, then comp sci will lose much of its appeal.

Say what? A lot of work is based on the assumption that P!=NP so you have to be clever in other ways.

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