Descriptional complexity of cellular automata and decidability questions

We study the descriptional complexity of cellular automata (CA), a parallel model of computation. We show that between one of the simplest cellular models, the realtime-OCA. and "classical" models like deterministic finite automata (DFA) or pushdown automata (PDA), there will be savings concerning the size of description not bounded by any recursive function, a so-called nonrecursive trade-off. Furthermore, nonrecursive trade-offs are shown between some restricted classes of cellular automata. The set of valid computations of a Turing machine can be recognized by a realtime-OCA. This implies that many decidability questions are not even semi decidable for cellular automata. There is no pumping lemma and no minimization algorithm for cellular automata

On the Complexity of the Tiden-Arnborg Algorithm for Unification modulo One-Sided Distributivity

We prove that the Tiden and Arnborg algorithm for equational unification modulo one-sided distributivity is not polynomial time bounded as previously thought. A set of counterexamples is developed that demonstrates that the algorithm goes through exponentially many steps.Comment: In Proceedings UNIF 2010, arXiv:1012.455

On the descriptional complexity of iterative arrays

The descriptional complexity of iterative arrays (lAs) is studied. Iterative arrays are a parallel computational model with a sequential processing of the input. It is shown that lAs when compared to deterministic finite automata or pushdown automata may provide savings in size which are not bounded by any recursive function, so-called non-recursive trade-offs. Additional non-recursive trade-offs are proven to exist between lAs working in linear time and lAs working in real time. Furthermore, the descriptional complexity of lAs is compared with cellular automata (CAs) and non-recursive trade-offs are proven between two restricted classes. Finally, it is shown that many decidability questions for lAs are undecidable and not semidecidable

Context unification is in PSPACE

Contexts are terms with one `hole', i.e. a place in which we can substitute an argument. In context unification we are given an equation over terms with variables representing contexts and ask about the satisfiability of this equation. Context unification is a natural subvariant of second-order unification, which is undecidable, and a generalization of word equations, which are decidable, at the same time. It is the unique problem between those two whose decidability is uncertain (for already almost two decades). In this paper we show that the context unification is in PSPACE. The result holds under a (usual) assumption that the first-order signature is finite. This result is obtained by an extension of the recompression technique, recently developed by the author and used in particular to obtain a new PSPACE algorithm for satisfiability of word equations, to context unification. The recompression is based on performing simple compression rules (replacing pairs of neighbouring function symbols), which are (conceptually) applied on the solution of the context equation and modifying the equation in a way so that such compression steps can be in fact performed directly on the equation, without the knowledge of the actual solution.Comment: 27 pages, submitted, small notation changes and small improvements over the previous tex

On one-way cellular automata with a fixed number of cells

We investigate a restricted one-way cellular automaton (OCA) model where the number of cells is bounded by a constant number k, so-called kC-OCAs. In contrast to the general model, the generative capacity of the restricted model is reduced to the set of regular languages. A kC-OCA can be algorithmically converted to a deterministic finite automaton (DFA). The blow-up in the number of states is bounded by a polynomial of degree k. We can exhibit a family of unary languages which shows that this upper bound is tight in order of magnitude. We then study upper and lower bounds for the trade-off when converting DFAs to kC-OCAs. We show that there are regular languages where the use of kC-OCAs cannot reduce the number of states when compared to DFAs. We then investigate trade-offs between kC-OCAs with different numbers of cells and finally treat the problem of minimizing a given kC-OCA

Almost structural completeness; an algebraic approach

A deductive system is structurally complete if its admissible inference rules are derivable. For several important systems, like modal logic S5, failure of structural completeness is caused only by the underivability of passive rules, i.e. rules that can not be applied to theorems of the system. Neglecting passive rules leads to the notion of almost structural completeness, that means, derivablity of admissible non-passive rules. Almost structural completeness for quasivarieties and varieties of general algebras is investigated here by purely algebraic means. The results apply to all algebraizable deductive systems. Firstly, various characterizations of almost structurally complete quasivarieties are presented. Two of them are general: expressed with finitely presented algebras, and with subdirectly irreducible algebras. One is restricted to quasivarieties with finite model property and equationally definable principal relative congruences, where the condition is verifiable on finite subdirectly irreducible algebras. Secondly, examples of almost structurally complete varieties are provided Particular emphasis is put on varieties of closure algebras, that are known to constitute adequate semantics for normal extensions of S4 modal logic. A certain infinite family of such almost structurally complete, but not structurally complete, varieties is constructed. Every variety from this family has a finitely presented unifiable algebra which does not embed into any free algebra for this variety. Hence unification in it is not unitary. This shows that almost structural completeness is strictly weaker than projective unification for varieties of closure algebras

The Role of Term Symmetry in E-Unification and E-Completion

A major portion of the work and time involved in completing an incomplete set of reductions using an E-completion procedure such as the one described by Knuth and Bendix [070] or its extension to associative-commutative equational theories as described by Peterson and Stickel [PS81] is spent calculating critical pairs and subsequently testing them for coherence. A pruning technique which removes from consideration those critical pairs that represent redundant or superfluous information, either before, during, or after their calculation, can therefore make a marked difference in the run time and efficiency of an E-completion procedure to which it is applied. The exploitation of term symmetry is one such pruning technique. The calculation of redundant critical pairs can be avoided by detecting the term symmetries that can occur between the subterms of the left-hand side of the major reduction being used, and later between the unifiers of these subterms with the left-hand side of the minor reduction. After calculation, and even after reduction to normal form, the observation of term symmetries can lead to significant savings. The results in this paper were achieved through the development and use of a flexible E-unification algorithm which is currently written to process pairs of terms which may contain any combination of Null-E, C (Commutative), AC (Associative-Commutative) and ACI (Associative-Commutative with Identity) operators. One characteristic of this E-unification algorithm that we have not observed in any other to date is the ability to process a pair of terms which have different ACI top-level operators. In addition, the algorithm is a modular design which is a variation of the Yelick model [Ye85], and is easily extended to process terms containing operators of additional equational theories by simply plugging in a unification module for the new theory

Sublinearly space bounded iterative arrays

Iterative arrays (IAs) are a, parallel computational model with a sequential processing of the input. They are one-dimensional arrays of interacting identical deterministic finite automata. In this note, realtime-lAs with sublinear space bounds are used to accept formal languages. The existence of a proper hierarchy of space complexity classes between logarithmic anel linear space bounds is proved. Furthermore, an optimal spacc lower bound for non-regular language recognition is shown. Key words: Iterative arrays, cellular automata, space bounded computations, decidability questions, formal languages, theory of computatio