Related papers: A mathematical definition of "simplify"
There is no single definition of complexity (Edmonds 1999; Gershenson 2008; Mitchell 2009; De Domenico, et al., 2019), as it acquires different meanings in different contexts. A general notion is the amount of information required to…
We present a method to simplify expressions in the context of an equational theory. The basic ideas and concepts of the method have been presented previously elsewhere but here we tackle the difficult task of making it efficient in…
An arithmetic formula is an expression involving only the constant $1$, and the binary operations of addition and multiplication, with multiplication by $1$ not allowed. We obtain an asymptotic formula for the number of arithmetic formulas…
The integer complexity $f(n)$ of a positive integer $n$ is defined as the minimum number of 1's needed to represent $n$, using additions, multiplications and parentheses. We present two simple and faster algorithms for computing the integer…
A definition of what counts as an explanation of mathematical statement, and when one explanation is better than another, is given. Since all mathematical facts must be true in all causal models, and hence known by an agent, mathematical…
The proofs first generated by automated theorem provers are far from optimal by any measure of simplicity. In this paper I describe a technique for simplifying automated proofs. Hopefully this discussion will stimulate interest in the…
"Mathematicians, like physicists, are pushed by a strong fascination. Research in mathematics is hard, it is intellectually painful even if it is rewarding, and you would not do it without some strong urge." [D. Ruelle]. We shall give some…
The definition of who is or what makes a ``mathematician" is an important and urgent issue to be addressed in the mathematics community. Too often, a narrower definition of who is considered a mathematician (and what is considered…
Many interesting and useful symbolic computation algorithms manipulate mathematical expressions in mathematically meaningful ways. Although these algorithms are commonplace in computer algebra systems, they can be surprisingly difficult to…
How to handle division in systems that compute with logical formulas involving what would otherwise be polynomial constraints over the real numbers is a surprisingly difficult question. This paper argues that existing approaches from both…
"Clarithmetic" is a generic name for formal number theories similar to Peano arithmetic, but based on computability logic (see http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~giorgi/cl.html) instead of the more traditional classical or intuitionistic logics.…
This paper is a reflexion on the computability of natural language semantics. It does not contain a new model or new results in the formal semantics of natural language: it is rather a computational analysis of the logical models and…
Different ways to describe a permutation, as a sequence of integers, or a product of Coxeter generators, or a tree, give different choices to define a simple permutation. We recollect few of them, define new types of simple permutations,…
We present a simplified integral of functions of several variables. Although less general than the Riemann integral, most functions of practical interest are still integrable. On the other hand, the basic integral theorems can be obtained…
We define an algorithm to be the set of programs that implement or express that algorithm. The set of all programs is partitioned into equivalence classes. Two programs are equivalent if they are essentially the same program. The set of…
The paper "Is Complexity an Illusion?" (Bennett, 2024) provides a formalism for complexity, learning, inference, and generalization, and introduces a formal definition for a "policy". This reply shows that correct policies do not exist for…
The term {\em complexity} is used informally both as a quality and as a quantity. As a quality, complexity has something to do with our ability to understand a system or object -- we understand simple systems, but not complex ones. On…
In this paper we give a definition of "algorithm," "finite algorithm," "equivalent algorithms," and what it means for a single algorithm to dominate a set of algorithms. We define a derived algorithm which may have a smaller mean execution…
Codifying mathematical theories in a proof assistant or computer algebra system is a challenging task, of which the most difficult part is, counterintuitively, structuring definitions. This results in a steep learning curve for new users…
This paper proposes a new approach to defining and expressing algorithms: the notion of {\it task logical} algorithms. This notion allows the user to define an algorithm for a task $T$ as a set of agents who can collectively perform $T$.…