On the Complexity of Numerical Analysis Eric Allender Peter B¨urgisser Rutgers, the State University of NJ Paderborn University Department of Computer Science Department of Mathematics Piscataway, NJ 08854-8019, USA DE-33095 Paderborn, Germany
[email protected] [email protected] Johan Kjeldgaard-Pedersen Peter Bro Miltersen PA Consulting Group University of Aarhus Decision Sciences Practice Department of Computer Science Tuborg Blvd. 5, DK 2900 Hellerup, Denmark IT-parken, DK 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
[email protected] [email protected] Abstract In Section 1.3 we discuss our main technical contribu- tions: proving upper and lower bounds on the complexity We study two quite different approaches to understand- of PosSLP. In Section 1.4 we present applications of our ing the complexity of fundamental problems in numerical main result with respect to the Euclidean Traveling Sales- analysis. We show that both hinge on the question of under- man Problem and the Sum-of-Square-Roots problem. standing the complexity of the following problem, which we call PosSLP: Given a division-free straight-line program 1.1 Polynomial Time Over the Reals producing an integer N, decide whether N>0. We show that PosSLP lies in the counting hierarchy, and combining The Blum-Shub-Smale model of computation over the our results with work of Tiwari, we show that the Euclidean reals provides a very well-studied complexity-theoretic set- Traveling Salesman Problem lies in the counting hierarchy ting in which to study the computational problems of nu- – the previous best upper bound for this important problem merical analysis.