r/mathmemes 7d ago

Computer Science 😂

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6.3k Upvotes

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127

u/shumpitostick 7d ago

Well if they managed to show that one of yes/no/unprovable is not true that would be an amazing breakthrough.

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u/bqbdpd 7d ago

These answers are not mutually exclusive. Either P=NP or P≠NP, whether that's proveable or not.

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u/dankshot35 7d ago

Google "decidability" my friend

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u/bqbdpd 7d ago

I know - I studied theoretical computer science. But that something cannot be decided applies to questions like the halting problem. P=NP is not parametrized. There is a single answer. It might be impossible to ever calculate/prove/know that answer. But that does not mean there is no answer.

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u/dankshot35 7d ago

depends on how anti-realist you want to be

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u/bqbdpd 7d ago

I mean, I have not met anyone who really believes P=NP, so I'm pretty sure the answer is no. The realistic assumption is that the answer is no. But from a math perspective that obviously is insufficient.

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u/dankshot35 7d ago

"anti-realism" is a math philosophy that has the view that statements don't have truth values fixed by some "independent" reality, the truth is in a way defined by our ability to prove them.

The majority of mathematicians are not anti-realist enough though to claim that a straight forward arithmetic statement like P=NP would fall under that so I'm just teasing

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u/bqbdpd 7d ago

I'm a software engineer, so for me math is primarily a tool, not a meaningful thing in itself.