Property testing is concerned with the design of super-fast algorithms for the structural analysis of large quantities of data. The aim is to unveil global features of the data, such as determining whether the data has a particular property or estimating global parameters. Remarkably, it is possible for decisions to be made by accessing only a small portion of the data. Property testing focuses on properties and parameters that go beyond simple statistics. This book provides an extensive a...

The focus of this book is the P versus NP Question and the theory of NP-completeness. It also provides adequate preliminaries regarding computational problems and computational models. The P versus NP Question asks whether or not finding solutions is harder than checking the correctness of solutions. An alternative formulation asks whether or not discovering proofs is harder than verifying their correctness. It is widely believed that the answer to these equivalent formulations is positive...

Cryptography is concerned with the construction of schemes that withstand any abuse.A cryptographic scheme is constructed so as to maintain a desired functionality, even under malicious attempts aimed at making it deviate from its prescribed behavior. The design of cryptographic systems must be based on firm foundations, whereas ad hoc approaches and heuristics are a very dangerous way to go. These foundations were developed mostly in the 1980s, in works that are a...

This volume contains a collection of studies in the areas of complexity theory and local algorithms. A common theme in most of the papers is the interplay between randomness and computation. This interplay is pivotal to some parts of complexity theory and is essential for local algorithms.The works included address a variety of topics in the areas of complexity theory and local algorithms. Within complexity theory the topics include approximation algorithms, counting problems, enum...

This volume contains a collection of studies in the areas of complexity theory and property testing. The 21 pieces of scientific work included were conducted at different times, mostly during the last decade. Although most of these works have been cited in the literature, none of them was formally published before.Within complexity theory the topics include constant-depth Boolean circuits, explicit construction of expander graphs, interactive proof systems, monotone formulae for ma...

Cryptography is concerned with the conceptualization, definition and construction of computing systems that address security concerns. The design of cryptographic systems must be based on firm foundations. Foundations of Cryptography presents a rigorous and systematic treatment of foundational issues, defining cryptographic tasks and solving cryptographic problems. The emphasis is on the clarification of fundamental concepts and on demonstrating the feasibility of solving several central c...

Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke AwardsThis record-breaking novel following a warship trapped in a human body on a quest for revenge is a must-read for fans of Ursula K. Le Guin and James S. A. Corey.**"THRILLING, MOVING AND AWE-INSPIRING." —**GuardianOn a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest. Once, she was the Justice of Toren—a colossal st...

Mathematics plays a key role in computer science, some researchers would consider computers as nothing but the physical embodiment of mathematical systems. And whether you are designing a digital circuit, a computer program or a new programming language, you need mathematics to be able to reason about the design -- its correctness, robustness and dependability. This book covers the foundational mathematics necessary for courses in computer science.The common approach to presenting ...

Problem solving is an essential part of every scientific discipline. It has two components: (1) problem identification and formulation, and (2) the solution to the formulated problem. One can solve a problem on its own using ad hoc techniques or by following techniques that have produced efficient solutions to similar problems. This requires the understanding of various algorithm design techniques, how and when to use them to formulate solutions, and the context appropriate for each of the...

A practical text suitable for an introductory or advanced course in formal methods, this book presents a mathematical approach to modelling and designing systems using an extension of the B formal method: Event-B. Based on the idea of refinement, the author's systematic approach allows the user to construct models gradually and to facilitate a systematic reasoning method by means of proofs. Readers will learn how to build models of programs and, more generally, discrete systems, but this i...

Classical computer science textbooks tell us that some problems are 'hard'. Yet many areas, from machine learning and computer vision to theorem proving and software verification, have defined their own set of tools for effectively solving complex problems. Tractability provides an overview of these different techniques, and of the fundamental concepts and properties used to tame intractability. This book will help you understand what to do when facing a hard computational problem. Can the...

Process Algebra is a formal description technique for complex computer systems, especially those involving communicating, concurrently executing components. It is a subject that concurrently touches many topic areas of computer science and discrete math, including system design notations, logic, concurrency theory, specification and verification, operational semantics, algorithms, complexity theory, and, of course, algebra.This Handbook documents the fate of process algebra since its incep...