The Golden Ticket: P, NP, and the Search for the Impossible

by Lance Fortnow

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The P-NP problem is the most important open problem in computer science, if not all of mathematics. Simply stated, it asks whether every problem whose solution can be quickly checked by computer can also be quickly solved by computer. The Golden Ticket provides a nontechnical introduction to P-NP, its rich history, and its algorithmic implications for everything we do with computers and beyond. Lance Fortnow traces the history and development of P-NP, giving examples from a variety of disciplines, including economics, physics, and biology. He explores problems that capture the full difficulty of the P-NP dilemma, from discovering the shortest route through all the rides at Disney World to finding large groups of friends on Facebook. The Golden Ticket explores what we truly can and cannot achieve computationally, describing the benefits and unexpected challenges of this compelling problem.
  • ISBN10 0691156492
  • ISBN13 9780691156491
  • Publish Date 31 March 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
  • Publish Status Out of Print
  • Out of Print 8 February 2021
  • Publish Country US
  • Imprint Princeton University Press
  • Format Hardcover
  • Pages 192
  • Language English