The central idea of the np-compete platform is to semantically mark up, with essentially "hand wavy" types of proofs, proofs from the complexity theory literature written in documents that start out as TeX or LaTeX and subsequently get converted into XHTML+MathML. The aim is to find and generate new ideas that might eventually lead to a complete solution of the "P vs. NP" problem.

1. np-compete

2. Some problems are easy...

3. 3×7=?

4. O(n²)

5. Some problems are a little harder...

6. × =?

7. O(n³)

8. Some problems are really hard...

9. http://xkcd.com/399/ CC-BY-NC

10. O(n²), O(n³), ... problems are in the
complexity class P
O(n!) problems or worse are in NP

11. But are P and NP the same?

12. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:P_np_np-complete_np-hard.svg CC-SA

13. “Of all the Millennium Problems, the P versus NP
problem is the one most likely to be solved by
an “unknown amateur” – someone largely
untrained in mathematics, possibly someone
very young, who is unknown to the
mathematical community.”
Keith Devlin, “The Millennium Problems”

14. “Not only is it relatively easy to understand what
the problem says, it is possible that all it will
take to solve it is one good new idea.”
Keith Devlin, “The Millennium Problems”

15. np-compete will be a framework to
aggregate every new “N vs. NP”
solution idea that’s out there

16. np-compete will filter for any
known ideas to find all the
genuinely new ideas

17. The filter will be a competition
amongst every solution idea
based on novelty and correctness

18. But how will it work?

19. Take the following example...

20. Can you find whole numbers
p and q so that √2 = p/q?

21. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_root_of_2

22. Yeah, I’m gonna need you to
summarize that in a tweet

24. How about just three words?

25. PROOF BY CONTRADICTION

26. Mathematicians have a phrase for
that kind of proof...

27. http://www.flickr.com/photos/craigporteous/3801016250/ CC-BY

28. ...hand waving

29. Although there are many proofs
that √2 ≠ p/q, they generally
follow one of just a handful of
proof patterns

30. The central idea of the np-compete
platform is to semantically mark
up complete and rigorous proofs
with essentially hand wavy types
of proofs with the aim of finding
new ideas

31. Mathematicians talk in TeX or
LaTeX so this will be our input
Anyone will be able to submit
solutions

32. Proof by TeX
“The proof is typeset using TeX or LaTeX,
preferably using one of the AMS or ACM
stylesheets. When laid out so professionally, it
can't possibly have any flaws.”
http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Proof CC-BY-NC-SA

33. np-compete will take a proposed
“P vs. NP” solution written in TeX,
convert this source file into
XHTML+MathML and allow users
to annotate proof structures in
the document with RDFa

34. Think of it as massively
collaborative peer-review and
idea generation

35. Get involved!
The project needs people like you:
UI Designers
Semantic Web Experts
Java Hackers
Database Gurus
...

36. np-compete
See you at Science Hack Day 2010
http://sciencehackday.pbworks.com/
Me:
Blog: http://www.danhagon.me.uk/blog/
Twitter: @axiomsofchoice
With thanks to @leipie for the initial collaboration at HackCamp 2010 and
Cameron Neylon for discussions and slide template