Re: Can you find anything wrong with this solution to the Halting Problem?

From: Isaac To (iketo2_at_netscape.net)
Date: 07/18/04


Date: 18 Jul 2004 23:21:52 +0800


>>>>> "Peter" == Peter Olcott <olcott@worldnet.att.net> writes:

    Peter> int WillHalt() will terminate in all cases. It will not go
    Peter> into the infinite loop because it will not determine that
    Peter> LoopIfHalts() will halt. It also does not determine that
    Peter> LoopIfHalts() does not halt, this only leaves UNKNOWN,
    Peter> which is still a halting condition.

I'm really unsure what you are doing. Why any solution of halting
problem can return UNKNOWN given valid input (i.e., a program)? A
program either halts or not halts, it cannot be "in between". If you
have any such program that can return UNKNOWN for any valid input
(i.e., any program that takes no input) it cannot be a correct answer
of the halting problem, by definition. If you neglect that, you have
the simplest solution to the halting problem "int WillHalt(string Src,
string Input) { return UNKNOWN; }".

Regards,
Isaac.



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