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The quantum algorithm solving Simon's problem, usually called Simon's algorithm, served as the inspiration for Shor's algorithm. [1] Both problems are special cases of the abelian hidden subgroup problem, which is now known to have efficient quantum algorithms. The problem is set in the model of decision tree complexity or query complexity and ...
Dijkstra's algorithm, as another example of a uniform-cost search algorithm, can be viewed as a special case of A* where = for all x. [ 12 ] [ 13 ] General depth-first search can be implemented using A* by considering that there is a global counter C initialized with a very large value.
Flowchart of using successive subtractions to find the greatest common divisor of number r and s. In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm (/ ˈ æ l ɡ ə r ɪ ð əm / ⓘ) is a finite sequence of mathematically rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. [1]
That is, the time required to solve the problem using any currently known algorithm increases rapidly as the size of the problem grows. As a consequence, determining whether it is possible to solve these problems quickly, called the P versus NP problem, is one of the fundamental unsolved problems in computer science today.
The hardest problems in NP are called NP-complete problems. An algorithm solving such a problem in polynomial time is also able to solve any other NP problem in polynomial time. If P were in fact equal to NP, then a polynomial-time algorithm would exist for solving NP-complete, and by corollary, all NP problems. [4]
Even though the problem is computationally difficult, many heuristics and exact algorithms are known, so that some instances with tens of thousands of cities can be solved completely, and even problems with millions of cities can be approximated within a small fraction of 1%. [2]
As it is suspected, but unproven, that P≠NP, it is unlikely that any polynomial-time algorithms for NP-hard problems exist. [3] [4] A simple example of an NP-hard problem is the subset sum problem. Informally, if H is NP-hard, then it is at least as difficult to solve as the problems in NP.
An example of a decision problem is deciding with the help of an algorithm whether a given natural number is prime. Another example is the problem, "given two numbers x and y, does x evenly divide y?" A method for solving a decision problem, given in the form of an algorithm, is called a decision procedure for that problem.