P = Np ?

[TimberWolf]

Interesting article here about recent status/developments in the most open question in computer science, mathematics, logic, physics...

Highlights include that factoring and finding discrete logarithms are not thought to be NP-complete (these are used in cryptography), that whether P=NP may never be known and that quantum computers would probably not help solve NP complete problems.

I also read recently that 15 had been successfully factored by quantum computer. Although a classical computer was required to complete the job.

 

[threaded]

Depends totally on the axioms for the problem space.

If the axiom set can be used to prove P=NP then yes, if they can prove the opposite, then the answer is no.

Simples.

threaded in "please save us from GCSEs in IT" mode

 

[NotAllThere]

On the other hand, even if you axiomise P=NP (or P#NP), you'll still get undecidability in your problem space.

 

[Diestl]