Information, Computer and Network Security Terms Glossary and Dictionary

P equals NP

Polynomial (P) equals nondeterministic polynomial(NP) question asks: if positive solutions to a YES/NO problem can be verified quickly, can the answers also be computed quickly? In information security, an "P and NP" problem defies any brute-force approach at solution, because finding the correct solution would take trillions of years or longer even if all the supercomputers in the world were put to the task. Some mathematicians believe that this obstacle can be surmounted by building a computer capable of trying every possible solution to a problem simultaneously. This hypothesis is called P equals NP, in information security.

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P equals NP