Descriptive Complexity
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Descriptive Complexity
Descriptive complexity is a branch of computational complexity theory and of finite model theory that characterizes complexity classes by the type of logic needed to express the formal language, languages in them. For example, PH (complexity), PH, the union of all complexity classes in the polynomial hierarchy, is precisely the class of languages expressible by statements of second-order logic. This connection between complexity and the logic of finite structures allows results to be transferred easily from one area to the other, facilitating new proof methods and providing additional evidence that the main complexity classes are somehow "natural" and not tied to the specific abstract machines used to define them. Specifically, each logical system produces a set of query (complexity), queries expressible in it. The queries – when restricted to finite structures – correspond to the computational problems of traditional complexity theory. The first main result of descriptive com ...
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Computational Complexity Theory
In theoretical computer science and mathematics, computational complexity theory focuses on classifying computational problems according to their resource usage, and explores the relationships between these classifications. A computational problem is a task solved by a computer. A computation problem is solvable by mechanical application of mathematical steps, such as an algorithm. A problem is regarded as inherently difficult if its solution requires significant resources, whatever the algorithm used. The theory formalizes this intuition, by introducing mathematical models of computation to study these problems and quantifying their computational complexity, i.e., the amount of resources needed to solve them, such as time and storage. Other measures of complexity are also used, such as the amount of communication (used in communication complexity), the number of logic gate, gates in a circuit (used in circuit complexity) and the number of processors (used in parallel computing). O ...
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Subset
In mathematics, a Set (mathematics), set ''A'' is a subset of a set ''B'' if all Element (mathematics), elements of ''A'' are also elements of ''B''; ''B'' is then a superset of ''A''. It is possible for ''A'' and ''B'' to be equal; if they are unequal, then ''A'' is a proper subset of ''B''. The relationship of one set being a subset of another is called inclusion (or sometimes containment). ''A'' is a subset of ''B'' may also be expressed as ''B'' includes (or contains) ''A'' or ''A'' is included (or contained) in ''B''. A ''k''-subset is a subset with ''k'' elements. When quantified, A \subseteq B is represented as \forall x \left(x \in A \Rightarrow x \in B\right). One can prove the statement A \subseteq B by applying a proof technique known as the element argument:Let sets ''A'' and ''B'' be given. To prove that A \subseteq B, # suppose that ''a'' is a particular but arbitrarily chosen element of A # show that ''a'' is an element of ''B''. The validity of this technique ...
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Journal Of The ACM
The ''Journal of the ACM'' (''JACM'') is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering computer science in general, especially theoretical aspects. It is an official journal of the Association for Computing Machinery. Its current editor-in-chief is Venkatesan Guruswami. The journal was established in 1954 and "computer scientists universally hold the ''Journal of the ACM'' in high esteem". See also * ''Communications of the ACM ''Communications of the ACM'' (''CACM'') is the monthly journal of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). History It was established in 1958, with Saul Rosen as its first managing editor. It is sent to all ACM members. Articles are i ...'' References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Journal Of The Acm Academic journals established in 1954 Computer science journals Association for Computing Machinery academic journals Bimonthly journals English-language journals ...
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EXPTIME
In computational complexity theory, the complexity class EXPTIME (sometimes called EXP or DEXPTIME) is the set of all decision problems that are solvable by a deterministic Turing machine in exponential time, i.e., in O(2''p''(''n'')) time, where ''p''(''n'') is a polynomial function of ''n''. EXPTIME is one intuitive class in an exponential hierarchy of complexity classes with increasingly more complex oracles or quantifier alternations. For example, the class 2-EXPTIME is defined similarly to EXPTIME but with a doubly exponential time bound. This can be generalized to higher and higher time bounds. EXPTIME can also be reformulated as the space class APSPACE, the set of all problems that can be solved by an alternating Turing machine in polynomial space. EXPTIME relates to the other basic time and space complexity classes in the following way: P ⊆ NP ⊆ PSPACE ⊆ EXPTIME ⊆ NEXPTIME ⊆ EXPSPACE. Furthermore, by the time hierarchy theorem and the space hiera ...
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PSPACE
In computational complexity theory, PSPACE is the set of all decision problems that can be solved by a Turing machine using a polynomial amount of space. Formal definition If we denote by SPACE(''f''(''n'')), the set of all problems that can be solved by Turing machines using ''O''(''f''(''n'')) space for some function ''f'' of the input size ''n'', then we can define PSPACE formally asArora & Barak (2009) p.81 :\mathsf = \bigcup_ \mathsf(n^k). It turns out that allowing the Turing machine to be nondeterministic does not add any extra power. Because of Savitch's theorem,Arora & Barak (2009) p.85 NPSPACE is equivalent to PSPACE, essentially because a deterministic Turing machine can simulate a nondeterministic Turing machine without needing much more space (even though it may use much more time).Arora & Barak (2009) p.86 Also, the complements of all problems in PSPACE are also in PSPACE, meaning that co-PSPACE PSPACE. Relation among other classes The following re ...
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SO (complexity)
In logic and mathematics, second-order logic is an extension of first-order logic, which itself is an extension of propositional logic. Second-order logic is in turn extended by higher-order logic and type theory. First-order logic quantifies only variables that range over individuals (elements of the domain of discourse); second-order logic, in addition, quantifies over relations. For example, the second-order sentence \forall P\,\forall x (Px \lor \neg Px) says that for every formula ''P'', and every individual ''x'', either ''Px'' is true or not(''Px'') is true (this is the law of excluded middle). Second-order logic also includes quantification over sets, functions, and other variables (see section below). Both first-order and second-order logic use the idea of a domain of discourse (often called simply the "domain" or the "universe"). The domain is a set over which individual elements may be quantified. Examples First-order logic can quantify over individuals, but not o ...
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Co-NP
In computational complexity theory, co-NP is a complexity class. A decision problem X is a member of co-NP if and only if its complement is in the complexity class NP. The class can be defined as follows: a decision problem is in co-NP if and only if for every ''no''-instance we have a polynomial-length " certificate" and there is a polynomial-time algorithm that can be used to verify any purported certificate. That is, co-NP is the set of decision problems where there exists a polynomial and a polynomial-time bounded Turing machine ''M'' such that for every instance ''x'', ''x'' is a ''no''-instance if and only if: for some possible certificate ''c'' of length bounded by , the Turing machine ''M'' accepts the pair . Complementary problems While an NP problem asks whether a given instance is a ''yes''-instance, its ''complement'' asks whether an instance is a ''no''-instance, which means the complement is in co-NP. Any ''yes''-instance for the original NP problem becomes a '' ...
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P (complexity)
In computational complexity theory, P, also known as PTIME or DTIME(''n''O(1)), is a fundamental complexity class. It contains all decision problems that can be solved by a deterministic Turing machine using a polynomial amount of computation time, or polynomial time. Cobham's thesis holds that P is the class of computational problems that are "efficiently solvable" or " tractable". This is inexact: in practice, some problems not known to be in P have practical solutions, and some that are in P do not, but this is a useful rule of thumb. Definition A language ''L'' is in P if and only if there exists a deterministic Turing machine ''M'', such that * ''M'' runs for polynomial time on all inputs * For all ''x'' in ''L'', ''M'' outputs 1 * For all ''x'' not in ''L'', ''M'' outputs 0 P can also be viewed as a uniform family of Boolean circuits. A language ''L'' is in P if and only if there exists a polynomial-time uniform family of Boolean circuits \, such that * For all n \in ...
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Least Fixed Point
In order theory, a branch of mathematics, the least fixed point (lfp or LFP, sometimes also smallest fixed point) of a function from a partially ordered set ("poset" for short) to itself is the fixed point which is less than each other fixed point, according to the order of the poset. A function need not have a least fixed point, but if it does then the least fixed point is unique. Examples With the usual order on the real numbers, the least fixed point of the real function ''f''(''x'') = ''x''2 is ''x'' = 0 (since the only other fixed point is 1 and 0 < 1). In contrast, ''f''(''x'') = ''x'' + 1 has no fixed points at all, so has no least one, and ''f''(''x'') = ''x'' has infinitely many fixed points, but has no least one. Let G = (V, A) be a directed graph and v be a vertex. The

NL (complexity)
In computational complexity theory, NL (Nondeterministic Logarithmic-space) is the complexity class containing decision problems that can be solved by a nondeterministic Turing machine using a logarithmic amount of memory space. NL is a generalization of L, the class for logspace problems on a deterministic Turing machine. Since any deterministic Turing machine is also a nondeterministic Turing machine, we have that L is contained in NL. NL can be formally defined in terms of the computational resource nondeterministic space (or NSPACE) as NL = NSPACE(log ''n''). Important results in complexity theory allow us to relate this complexity class with other classes, telling us about the relative power of the resources involved. Results in the field of algorithms, on the other hand, tell us which problems can be solved with this resource. Like much of complexity theory, many important questions about NL are still open (see Unsolved problems in computer science). Occasionally N ...
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L (complexity)
In computational complexity theory, L (also known as LSPACE, LOGSPACE or DLOGSPACE) is the complexity class containing decision problems that can be solved by a deterministic Turing machine using a logarithmic amount of writable memory space. Formally, the Turing machine has two tapes, one of which encodes the input and can only be read, whereas the other tape has logarithmic size but can be written as well as read. Logarithmic space is sufficient to hold a constant number of pointers into the input and a logarithmic number of Boolean flags, and many basic logspace algorithms use the memory in this way. Complete problems and logical characterization Every non-trivial problem in L is complete under log-space reductions, so weaker reductions are required to identify meaningful notions of L-completeness, the most common being first-order reductions. A 2004 result by Omer Reingold shows that USTCON, the problem of whether there exists a path between two vertices in a given u ...
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Transitive Closure
In mathematics, the transitive closure of a homogeneous binary relation on a set (mathematics), set is the smallest Relation (mathematics), relation on that contains and is Transitive relation, transitive. For finite sets, "smallest" can be taken in its usual sense, of having the fewest related pairs; for infinite sets is the unique minimal element, minimal transitive superset of . For example, if is a set of airports and means "there is a direct flight from airport to airport " (for and in ), then the transitive closure of on is the relation such that means "it is possible to fly from to in one or more flights". More formally, the transitive closure of a binary relation on a set is the smallest (w.r.t. ⊆) transitive relation on such that ⊆ ; see . We have = if, and only if, itself is transitive. Conversely, transitive reduction adduces a minimal relation from a given relation such that they have the same closure, that is, ; however, many differen ...
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