Generalized Hex and logical characterizations of polynomial space

dc.creatorArratia-Quesada, Argimiro A.
dc.creatorStewart, Iain A.
dc.date1996-12-01
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T09:15:41Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T09:15:41Z
dc.descriptionWe answer a question posed by Makowsky and Pnueli and show that the logic $(\pm\mbox{HEX})^\ast[\mbox{FO}_s]$, where HEX is the operator (i.e., uniform sequence of Lindström quantifiers) corresponding to the well-known {\bf PSPACE}-complete decision problem Generalized Hex, collapses to the fragment $\mbox{HEX}^1[\mbox{FO}_s]$ and, moreover, that this logic has a particular normal form which results in the problem HEX being complete for {\bf PSPACE} via quantifier-free projections with successor (HEX is the first ``natural'' problem to be shown to have this property). Our proof of this normal form result is remarkably similar to Immerman's original proof that transitive closure logic, $(\pm\mbox{TC})^\ast[\mbox{FO}_s]$, has such a normal form; which is surprising given that $(\pm\mbox{HEX})^\ast[\mbox{FO}_s]$ captures {\bf PSPACE} and $(\pm\mbox{TC})^\ast[\mbox{FO}_s]$ captures {\bf NL}. We also show that $(\pm\mbox{HEX})^\ast[\mbox{FO}]$ does not capture {\bf PSPACE} and that this logic does not have a corresponding normal form.
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/math/9612228
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/math/9612228
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/153103
dc.subjectLogic
dc.titleGeneralized Hex and logical characterizations of polynomial space
dc.typetext

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