Class Description

NT: Near-Testable

The class of decision problems such that whether the answer on input x agrees with the answer on input x-1 (that is, the lexicographic predecessor of x) is solvable in polynomial time. The Turing machine has to decide agreement or disagreement without access to the answer for x-1.

Is contained in E, NT*, and ⊕P. Defined in [GHJ+91] to study ⊕P-complete problems. They show that P, NT, NT*, and ⊕P are either all equal or strictly nested. In particular, they differ with probability 1 relative to a random oracle.

Linked From

NT*: Near-Testable With Forest Ordering

Defined like NT, but with a more general ordering on inputs. A problem L is in NT* if, first, there is a partially defined predecessor function pred(x) in FP that organizes the space of inputs into a forest. The size of the lineage of each x must also be bounded by 2poly(|x|). Second, if L(x) is the Boolean answer to L on input x, then L(x)+L(pred(x)) is computable in polynomial time; or if pred(x) does not exist, L(x) is computable in polynomial time.

Defined in [GHJ+91].

Contains NT and is contained in ⊕P. The inclusions are either both strict or both equalities (whence ⊕P = P as well).

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