COMPUTABILITA' E COMPLESSITA'Module COMPUTABILITA'
Academic Year 2025/2026 - Teacher: Domenico CANTONEExpected Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding: students will acquire knowldege relative to the formalization of the notion of algorithm, by means of of Unlimited Register Machines (URM), examples of non-computable functions and undecidable predicates will be exhibited, the notion of decidability will be generalized to that of partial decidability and students will learn various techniques (such as the technique of reduction. the Theorems of Rice and of Rice-Shapiro, and the Theorem s-m-n) to verify whether a given predicate is partially decidable or not.
Applying knowledge and understanding: students will acquire the ability to construct non-computable functions under various constraints using diagonalization and to verify whether a given predicate is partially decidable or not.
Making judgements: students will be able to evaluate even informally the status of (semi-)decidability of a given computational problem.
Communication skills
Learning skills: students will have the ability to adapt the knowledge acquired also in new contexts and to advance his/her knowledge through the consultation of specialist sources in the computability field.
Course Structure
Classroom-taught lessons
Required Prerequisites
- Intuitive concept of algorithm
- Elements of mathematical logic
Attendance of Lessons
Detailed Course Content
Computable functions: algorithms, effective procedures. URM model: Unlimited Register Machines. URM-computable functions. Decidable predicates and problems. Computability in other domains.
Generation of URM-computable functions: basic functions, composition or substitution, recursion, minimalisation.
Church-Turing's thesis: Other approaches to computability. Primitive recursive functions and general recursive functions. Turing machines. (Post and Markov systems.)
Enumeration of computable functions. Enumeration of URM-programs. The diagonal method. The s-m-n theorem
Universal programs: universal functions and universal programs (and applications). Effective operations on computable functions.
Decidability, undecidability and partial decidability: Undecidable problems in computability and in other areas of mathematics. Rice's theorem. Partial decidable problems.
Textbook Information
1) N.J. Cutland. Computability: an introduction to recursive function theory, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1986. [Main textbook]
2) M.D. Davis, R. Sigal, E.J. Weyuker. Computability, Complexity, and Languages: Fundamentals of Theoretical Computer Science, Academic Press, New York, 1994. [Recommended reading]
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Computable functions: algorithms, effective procedures. URM model: Unlimited Register Machines. URM-computable functions. Decidable predicates and problems. Computability on other domains. | Chapter 1.1-1.5 of 1) and integrative handouts. |
| 2 | Generation of URM-computable functions: Initial functions. Composition. Recursion. Minimalisation. | Chapter 2.1-2.5 of 1) and integrative handouts. |
| 3 | Church-Turing thesis: Other approach to computability. Primitive recursive functions and general recursive functions. Turing machines. | Chapters 3.1-3.4, 3.6 e 3.7 of 1) and integrative handouts. |
| 4 | Post-systems and Markov- systems. | Chapter 3.5 of 1) |
| 5 | Enumeration of computable functions: enumeration of URM-programs. Diagonal method. S-m-n theorem. | Chapters 4.1-4.4 of 1) and integrative handouts. |
| 6 | Universal programs: universal functions and programs (with applications). Effective operations on computable functions. | Chapter 5.1-5.3 of 1) and integrative handouts. |
| 7 | Undecidable problems in computability. | Chapter 6.1 of 1) and integrative handouts. |
| 8 | Undecidable problems in other areas of mathematics. | Chapter 6.2-6.5 of 1) |
| 9 | Semi-decidable problems | Chapter 6.6 of 1) and integrative handouts. |
| 10 | Recursive sets and recursively enumerable sets. Rice and Rice-Shapiro theorems. | Chapter 7.1-7.2 of 1) and integrative handouts. |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Verification of learning can also be carried out electronically, should the conditions require it.