Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Claimed Proof That P != NP

Posted by kdawson on from the sufficiently-complex dept.

morsch writes "Researcher Vinay Deolalikar from HP Labs claims proof that P != NP. The 100-page paper has apparently not been peer-reviewed yet, so feel free to dig in and find some flaws. However, the attempt seems to be quite genuine, and Deolalikar has published papers in the same field in the past. So this may be the real thing. Given that $1M from the Millennium Prize is involved, it will certainly get enough scrutiny. Greg Baker broke the story on his blog, including the email Deolalikar sent around."

22 of 457 comments (clear)

  1. Well, duh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I mean, NP has an N in front of the P. That's obviously not the same as P. Also, P != HP.

    1. Re:Well, duh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I mean, NP has an N in front of the P. That's obviously not the same as P. Also, P != HP.

      If you knew really advanced mathematics you'd know that NP means N times P. So NP does equal P when N=1. But not the rest of the time. Oh and it does when P=0. How much was that prize again?

    2. Re:Well, duh by Peach+Rings · · Score: 4, Funny

      I had an unshakable image of some web design "IT guy" who had one forgotten lecture on this subject back in trade school nodding sagely as he thinks he understands what everyone's talking about and reaching for the Insightful moderation.

      I didn't have the benefit of the reassuring Score:5, Funny that you had.

    3. Re:Well, duh by Draek · · Score: 5, Funny

      Funny doesn't give karma, Insightful does.

      At least that's what I tell myself so I can sleep at night.

      --
      No problem is insoluble in all conceivable circumstances.
    4. Re:Well, duh by daveime · · Score: 4, Funny

      I thought that WAS Godwin's Law ?

      Poland != Nazi (occupied) Poland.

    5. Re:Well, duh by boxwood · · Score: 5, Funny

      or it may have been modded by a mathematician who figured out that modding comments "funny" will likely result in negative karma.

      Of course since the OP was an AC karma isn't a factor. But myself, I've just gotten into the habit of never using +1 funny, since it could result in negative karma for the poster. Also something thats funny, is made even more funny when it gets modded as insightful or informative.

    6. Re:Well, duh by hey! · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yeh, I get moded as a troll all the time!

      I don't. I often wonder why, because I actually am a troll. I turn to stone if I spend more time the sunlight longer than it takes to snatch a passing goat. I always stay late at the data center in order to avoid venturing out into the Big Blue Room. I show up late for the same reason.

      My bosses have gotten used to this; they tolerate it because they're afraid of confronting me. My technical skills are too valuable to lose, and in any case I'm the only one who has all the passwords. Even if that weren't true, they subconsciously know that any confrontation with me would end with me sucking the marrow from their dead white bones (yum!), or at least filing a grievance with personnel over a violation of the company diversity policy.

      Oh, by the way, it's "modded", not "moded", moron. Sorry about that outburst, I can't help it. It's a cultural thing (look it up in the employee handbook, dimwit).

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
  2. Well, Thank God... by jjohnson · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am pleased to announce a proof that P is not equal to NP, which is attached in 10pt and 12pt fonts.

    I was a afraid he might have left out an important step.

    --
    Anyone who loves or hates any language, platform, or manufacturer, doesn't know what they're talking about.
    1. Re:Well, Thank God... by ArsonSmith · · Score: 3, Funny

      it was shortened the original proof he was working on was 10Pt !=(or Not) 12Pt font. The journalist shortened it to P!=NP. The rest of the text is meaningless other than to illustrate the difference.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  3. How dare you say "OH YEAH!!!!!" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    The C&D letter is in the mail, buster. -Kool-Aid Man

  4. XKCD was right by wdsci · · Score: 5, Funny

    If this has appeared somewhere in the other comments, sorry for missing it, but http://xkcd.com/664/ seems oh so appropriate here. (especially the alt text)

  5. A real achievement... by adamofgreyskull · · Score: 4, Funny

    At the time of writing, there are two comments on Greg Baker's blog, congratulating Vinay on making it onto Slashdot. Jeez...he's potentially solved one of (if not) the most important open problem in computing, which could land him a million dollars in prize money...but yeah...well done on making it into that most esteemed of online publications, Slashdot.

  6. In other news, HP sex Scandal == Push other news by tomhudson · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's funny how we don't hear anything from HP for ages, then as soon as there's a sex scandal involving the disgraced CEO, out come all sorts of distractions.

    I smell a rat. Okay, I smell 2 rats - Mark Hurd (ex-CEO) and HPs' spin department.

  7. I have found an excellent proof of this... by spartacus_prime · · Score: 5, Funny

    But the margin is too narrow to contain it.

    --
    If you can read this, it means that I bothered to log in.
  8. Re:Funny can cost you karma by dotgain · · Score: 5, Funny

    [Slashdot] may have fixed it by now.

    Now that, my friend, is +5, Funny. Nothing here has been fixed in years.

  9. Re:In other news, HP sex Scandal == Push other new by Zerth · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's one hell of a spin department.

    Some university really should hire them, because if they can prove P!=NP just to cover up a sex scandal, imagine what they could do if they didn't waste time writing press releases.

  10. Re:Funny can cost you karma by osu-neko · · Score: 3, Funny

    Net result: post is +5 funny but you take major karma hits.

    "We used to rate people -1 Overrated. Now we just rate them +1 Funny. It's more effective that way."

    (Apologies to KMFDM...)

    --
    "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
  11. Re:What would the impacts of this be for cryptogra by kyriosdelis · · Score: 3, Funny

    If this proof holds up, then RSA and ECC become provably secure in a way they weren't before.

    Note to self: Buy a 5$ wrench.

    --
    I don't mind dating a girl that has been with everybody, as long as she had a good shower afterwards.
  12. I understand it completely. by Dwonis · · Score: 5, Funny

    We'll know that P != NP if it takes us less time to verify the proof as it took him to generate it.

  13. Re:Not Only Time But Several Disciplines by iamhigh · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well, if the guy is right, shouldn't there be an easy way to check?

    --
    No comprende? Let me type that a little slower for you...
  14. Re:In other news, HP sex Scandal == Push other new by LambdaWolf · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's one hell of a spin department.

    Some university really should hire them, because if they can prove P!=NP just to cover up a sex scandal, imagine what they could do if they didn't waste time writing press releases.

    Oh man, if you think the politics and backbiting are bad in typical academia, wait until you see an entire computer science department arguing over who gets to have illicit sex in order to set off the proof-generating team.

    --
    "This algorithm runs in constant time. Come on, 2,147,483,648 is a constant..."
  15. Re:In other news, HP sex Scandal == Push other new by tsalmark · · Score: 3, Funny

    That fishy smell, it's from the sex scandal.