58,813 research outputs found
Algorithmic Randomness
We consider algorithmic randomness in the Cantor space C of the infinite binary sequences. By an algorithmic randomness concept one specifies a set of elements of C, each of which is assigned the property of being random. Miscellaneous notions from computability theory are used in the definitions of randomness concepts that are essentially rooted in the following three intuitive randomness requirements: the initial segments of a random sequence should be effectively incompressible, no random sequence should be an element of an effective measure null set containing sequences with an “exceptional property”, and finally, considering betting games, in which the bits of a sequence are guessed successively, there should be no effective betting strategy that helps a player win an unbounded amount of capital on a random sequence. For various formalizations of these requirements one uses versions of Kolmogorov complexity, of tests, and of martingales, respectively. In case any of these notions is used in the definition of a randomness concept, one may ask in general for fundamental equivalent definitions in terms of the respective other two notions. This was a long-standing open question w.r.t. computable randomness, a central concept that had been introduced by Schnorr via martingales. In this thesis, we introduce bounded tests that we use to give a characterization of computable randomness in terms of tests. Our result was obtained independently of the prior test characterization of computable randomness due to Downey, Griffiths, and LaForte, who defined graded tests for their result. Based on bounded tests, we define bounded machines which give rise to a version of Kolmogorov complexity that we use to prove another characterization of computable randomness. This result, as in analog situations, allows for the introduction of interesting lowness and triviality properties that are, roughly speaking, “anti-randomness” properties. We define and study the notions lowness for bounded machines and bounded triviality. Using a theorem due to Nies, it can be shown that only the computable sequences are low for bounded machines. Further we show some interesting properties of bounded machines, and we demonstrate that every boundedly trivial sequence is K-trivial. Furthermore we define lowness for computable machines, a lowness notion in the setting of Schnorr randomness. We prove that a sequence is low for computable machines if and only if it is computably traceable. Gacs and independently Kucera proved a central theorem which states that every sequence is effectively decodable from a suitable Martin-Löf random sequence. We present a somewhat easier proof of this theorem, where we construct a sequence with the required property by diagonalizing against appropriate martingales. By a variant of that construction we prove that there exists a computably random sequence that is weak truth-table autoreducible. Further, we show that a sequence is computably enumerable self-reducible if and only if its associated real is computably enumerable. Finally we investigate interrelations between the Lebesgue measure and effective measures on C. We prove the following extension of a result due to Book, Lutz, and Wagner: A union of Pi-0-1 classes that is closed under finite variations has Lebesgue measure zero if and only if it contains no Kurtz random real. However we demonstrate that even a Sigma-0-2 class with Lebesgue measure zero need not be a Kurtz null class. Turning to Almost classes, we show among other things that every Almost class with respect to a bounded reducibility has computable packing dimension zero
The Dimensions of Individual Strings and Sequences
A constructive version of Hausdorff dimension is developed using constructive
supergales, which are betting strategies that generalize the constructive
supermartingales used in the theory of individual random sequences. This
constructive dimension is used to assign every individual (infinite, binary)
sequence S a dimension, which is a real number dim(S) in the interval [0,1].
Sequences that are random (in the sense of Martin-Lof) have dimension 1, while
sequences that are decidable, \Sigma^0_1, or \Pi^0_1 have dimension 0. It is
shown that for every \Delta^0_2-computable real number \alpha in [0,1] there is
a \Delta^0_2 sequence S such that \dim(S) = \alpha.
A discrete version of constructive dimension is also developed using
termgales, which are supergale-like functions that bet on the terminations of
(finite, binary) strings as well as on their successive bits. This discrete
dimension is used to assign each individual string w a dimension, which is a
nonnegative real number dim(w). The dimension of a sequence is shown to be the
limit infimum of the dimensions of its prefixes.
The Kolmogorov complexity of a string is proven to be the product of its
length and its dimension. This gives a new characterization of algorithmic
information and a new proof of Mayordomo's recent theorem stating that the
dimension of a sequence is the limit infimum of the average Kolmogorov
complexity of its first n bits.
Every sequence that is random relative to any computable sequence of
coin-toss biases that converge to a real number \beta in (0,1) is shown to have
dimension \H(\beta), the binary entropy of \beta.Comment: 31 page
Sub-computable Boundedness Randomness
This paper defines a new notion of bounded computable randomness for certain
classes of sub-computable functions which lack a universal machine. In
particular, we define such versions of randomness for primitive recursive
functions and for PSPACE functions. These new notions are robust in that there
are equivalent formulations in terms of (1) Martin-L\"of tests, (2) Kolmogorov
complexity, and (3) martingales. We show these notions can be equivalently
defined with prefix-free Kolmogorov complexity. We prove that one direction of
van Lambalgen's theorem holds for relative computability, but the other
direction fails. We discuss statistical properties of these notions of
randomness
Minimum Description Length Induction, Bayesianism, and Kolmogorov Complexity
The relationship between the Bayesian approach and the minimum description
length approach is established. We sharpen and clarify the general modeling
principles MDL and MML, abstracted as the ideal MDL principle and defined from
Bayes's rule by means of Kolmogorov complexity. The basic condition under which
the ideal principle should be applied is encapsulated as the Fundamental
Inequality, which in broad terms states that the principle is valid when the
data are random, relative to every contemplated hypothesis and also these
hypotheses are random relative to the (universal) prior. Basically, the ideal
principle states that the prior probability associated with the hypothesis
should be given by the algorithmic universal probability, and the sum of the
log universal probability of the model plus the log of the probability of the
data given the model should be minimized. If we restrict the model class to the
finite sets then application of the ideal principle turns into Kolmogorov's
minimal sufficient statistic. In general we show that data compression is
almost always the best strategy, both in hypothesis identification and
prediction.Comment: 35 pages, Latex. Submitted IEEE Trans. Inform. Theor
Fourier spectra of measures associated with algorithmically random Brownian motion
In this paper we study the behaviour at infinity of the Fourier transform of
Radon measures supported by the images of fractal sets under an algorithmically
random Brownian motion. We show that, under some computability conditions on
these sets, the Fourier transform of the associated measures have, relative to
the Hausdorff dimensions of these sets, optimal asymptotic decay at infinity.
The argument relies heavily on a direct characterisation, due to Asarin and
Pokrovskii, of algorithmically random Brownian motion in terms of the prefix
free Kolmogorov complexity of finite binary sequences. The study also
necessitates a closer look at the potential theory over fractals from a
computable point of view.Comment: 24 page
Shannon Information and Kolmogorov Complexity
We compare the elementary theories of Shannon information and Kolmogorov
complexity, the extent to which they have a common purpose, and where they are
fundamentally different. We discuss and relate the basic notions of both
theories: Shannon entropy versus Kolmogorov complexity, the relation of both to
universal coding, Shannon mutual information versus Kolmogorov (`algorithmic')
mutual information, probabilistic sufficient statistic versus algorithmic
sufficient statistic (related to lossy compression in the Shannon theory versus
meaningful information in the Kolmogorov theory), and rate distortion theory
versus Kolmogorov's structure function. Part of the material has appeared in
print before, scattered through various publications, but this is the first
comprehensive systematic comparison. The last mentioned relations are new.Comment: Survey, LaTeX 54 pages, 3 figures, Submitted to IEEE Trans
Information Theor
Measuring sets in infinite groups
We are now witnessing a rapid growth of a new part of group theory which has
become known as "statistical group theory". A typical result in this area would
say something like ``a random element (or a tuple of elements) of a group G has
a property P with probability p". The validity of a statement like that does,
of course, heavily depend on how one defines probability on groups, or,
equivalently, how one measures sets in a group (in particular, in a free
group). We hope that new approaches to defining probabilities on groups
outlined in this paper create, among other things, an appropriate framework for
the study of the "average case" complexity of algorithms on groups.Comment: 22 page
Effective Complexity and its Relation to Logical Depth
Effective complexity measures the information content of the regularities of
an object. It has been introduced by M. Gell-Mann and S. Lloyd to avoid some of
the disadvantages of Kolmogorov complexity, also known as algorithmic
information content. In this paper, we give a precise formal definition of
effective complexity and rigorous proofs of its basic properties. In
particular, we show that incompressible binary strings are effectively simple,
and we prove the existence of strings that have effective complexity close to
their lengths. Furthermore, we show that effective complexity is related to
Bennett's logical depth: If the effective complexity of a string exceeds a
certain explicit threshold then that string must have astronomically large
depth; otherwise, the depth can be arbitrarily small.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figure
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