1. Forum
  2. Newsgroups
  3. comp.lang.c

  • Re: Alan Turing's Halting Problem is incorrectly formed --- My firstpost on the halting problem

    From olcott@[email protected] to sci.logic,comp.theory,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++ on Sun Aug 24 16:56:34 2025
    From Newsgroup: comp.lang.c

    On 6/6/2004 9:11 AM, Peter Olcott wrote:
    One very simple transformation of the problem into a solvable problem
    is to convert the Boolean function DoesItHalt() into a tertiary response: True, False, Neither.

    if (DoesItHalt() == True)
    while(True) // loop forever
    ;
    else if (DoesItHalt() == False)
    return False;

    else if (DoesItHalt() == NeitherTrueNorFalse)
    return NeitherTrueNorFalse;

    So the original Halting Problem was incorrectly formed specifically
    because it was framed as a Boolean function, thus failing to account
    for possible inputs that result in a reply other than True or False.



    --
    Copyright 2024 Olcott

    "Talent hits a target no one else can hit;
    Genius hits a target no one else can see."
    Arthur Schopenhauer
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From olcott@[email protected] to comp.theory,sci.logic,comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.c on Sun Aug 24 17:19:44 2025
    From Newsgroup: comp.lang.c

    On 8/24/2025 4:56 PM, olcott wrote:
    On 6/6/2004 9:11 AM, Peter Olcott wrote:
    One very simple transformation of the problem into a solvable problem
    is to convert the Boolean function DoesItHalt() into a tertiary response:
    True, False, Neither.

    if (DoesItHalt() == True)
       while(True)   // loop forever
         ;
    else if (DoesItHalt() == False)
       return False;

    else if  (DoesItHalt() == NeitherTrueNorFalse)
       return NeitherTrueNorFalse;

    So the original Halting Problem was incorrectly formed specifically
    because it was framed as a Boolean function, thus failing to account
    for possible inputs that result in a reply other than True or False.






    https://www.usenetarchives.com/view.php?id=sci.logic&mid=PGJDRndjLjEzOTgwJEd4NC4yNTM3QGJndG5zYzA0LW5ld3Mub3BzLndvcmxkbmV0LmF0dC5uZXQ%2B
    --
    Copyright 2025 Olcott "Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius
    hits a target no one else can see." Arthur Schopenhauer
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2