Related papers: Sumplete is Hard, Even with Two Different Numbers
Let $M$ be a 3-manifold. Every knotted (embedded) surface in $M \times \R$ can be moved via an ambient isotopy in such a way that its projection into $M$ is a generic surface. A surface is generic if every point on it is either a regular,…
Sudoku is a popular combinatorial puzzle. A new method of solving Sudoku is presented, which involves formulating a puzzle as a special type of transportation problem. This model allows one to solve puzzles with more than one solution,…
We investigate the descriptive set-theoretic complexity of the solvability of a Borel family of linear equations over a finite field. Answering a question of Thornton, we show that this problem is already hard, namely $\Sigma^1_2$-complete.…
The starting point of this work is an equality between two quantities $A$ and $B$ found in the literature, which involve the {\em doubling-modulo-an-odd-integer} map, i.e., $x\in {\mathbb N} \mapsto 2x \bmod{(2n+1)}$ for some positive…
A graph $G$ is called well-covered if all maximal independent sets of vertices have the same cardinality. A simplicial complex $\Delta$ is called pure if all of its facets have the same cardinality. Let $\mathcal G$ be the class of graphs…
We prove the computational intractability of rotating and placing $n$ square tiles into a $1 \times n$ array such that adjacent tiles are compatible--either equal edge colors, as in edge-matching puzzles, or matching tab/pocket shapes, as…
Let $t$ be a positive real number. A graph is called $t$-tough if the removal of any vertex set $S$ that disconnects the graph leaves at most $|S|/t$ components. The toughness of a graph is the largest $t$ for which the graph is $t$-tough.…
A $\textit{covering system}$ is a collection of integer congruences such that every integer satisfies at least one congruence in the collection. A covering system is called $\textit{distinct}$ if all of its moduli are distinct. An expansive…
We analyze the computational complexity of several new variants of edge-matching puzzles. First we analyze inequality (instead of equality) constraints between adjacent tiles, proving the problem NP-complete for strict inequalities but…
A random jigsaw puzzle is constructed by arranging $n^2$ square pieces into an $n \times n$ grid and assigning to each edge of a piece one of $q$ available colours uniformly at random, with the restriction that touching edges receive the…
Hybrid logic with binders is an expressive specification language. Its satisfiability problem is undecidable in general. If frames are restricted to N or general linear orders, then satisfiability is known to be decidable, but of…
A variant of the well-known Set Covering Problem is studied in this paper, where subsets of a collection have to be selected, and pairwise conflicts among subsets of items exist. The selection of each subset has a cost, and the inclusion of…
We introduce a new family of one-player games, involving the movement of coins from one configuration to another. Moves are restricted so that a coin can be placed only in a position that is adjacent to at least two other coins. The goal of…
Graph clustering is the problem of identifying sparsely connected dense subgraphs (clusters) in a given graph. Proposed clustering algorithms usually optimize various fitness functions that measure the quality of a cluster within the graph.…
Consider the graph obtained by superposition of an independent pair of uniform infinite non-crossing perfect matchings of the set of integers. We prove that this graph contains at most one infinite path. Several motivations are discussed.
We show that the classical game LaserTank is $\mathrm{NP}$-complete, even when the tank movement is restricted to a single column and the only blocks appearing on the board are mirrors and solid blocks. We show this by reducing $3$-SAT…
In the popular computer game of Tetris, the player is given a sequence of tetromino pieces and must pack them into a rectangular gameboard initially occupied by a given configuration of filled squares; any completely filled row of the…
In this paper we suggest analytical methods and associated algorithms for determining the sum of the subsets $X_m$ of the set $X_n$ (subset sum problem). Our algorithm has time complexity $T=O(C_{n}^{k})$ ($k=[m/2]$, which significantly…
The disjointness of a stabilizer code is a quantity used to constrain the level of the logical Clifford hierarchy attainable by transversal gates and constant-depth quantum circuits. We show that for any positive integer constant $c$, the…
By assuming some widely-believed arithmetic conjectures, we show that the task of accepting a number that is representable as a sum of $d\geq2$ squares subjected to given congruence conditions is NP-complete. On the other hand, we develop…