0

I have been reading about how to test the undecidability of a problem, and some tests talk about the reduction technique. For what I could understand of this technique is that if I want to prove that problem X is undecidable I can take a problem Y which has already been proven to be undecidable. Then by using logic or mathematical manipulation, I try to reduce or get an instance of problem X by modifying problem X, am I right?

So for example, if I want to test the undecidability of problem X, it would be fair if I pick up, for example, the undecidability of the detection of computer viruses, as stated by Cohen, as an undecidable problem by applying reduction to it, would that be fine?

Layla
  • 413
  • 1
  • 4
  • 15

1 Answers1

1

To prove that problem X is undecidable you can reduce a problem Y (which has already been proved to be undecidable) to X. In fact if Y<mX then we know that X is at least as much hard as Y is. So what you have to do is to show a function f that maps instances of problem Y in instances of problem X, so that if y is an instance of Y with answer "yes" than f(y)=x is an instance of problem X with answer "yes", and if y is an instance of Y with answer "no" than f(y)=x is an instance of problem X with answer "no".

Ack.
  • 591
  • 1
  • 4
  • 9