num_pages: 192
description: The computer science problem whose solution could transform life as we know itThe 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.
language: English
title: The Golden Ticket: P, NP, and the Search for the Impossible
publisher: Princeton University Press