Talk:Nondeterministic algorithm
In the intro, "a nondeterministic algorithm is an algorithm with one or more choice points where multiple different continuations are possible". What's a choice point? What's a continuation?
In need of massive work
Wow, there's about 1.2 zillion different types of nondeterministic algorithms (if you include things like stochastic methods, etc). This article is in need of serious attention. Perhaps I'll have to see to that! - 172.133.246.35 06:42, 2 December 2006 (UTC) (JustinWick)
Is "nondeterministic algorithm" and "probabilistic deterministic algorithm" the same?
In the example "Primality testing" the "Guess an integer..." part of a concrete program/implementation can only use a random number generator to get the job done. Does this mean, that "nondeterministic" and "probabilistic deterministic" are the same in this instance?
Merge
Can anyone explain why the merge with nondeterminstic programming is a good idea? Or OK if I just remove the merge tags? Sam Staton 16:20, 8 October 2007 (UTC)
Reverted edit
I reverted an edit by an anonymous editor. The sentence "A nondeterministic algorithm as an algorithm that, given the same input, may produce different results." is not true: the important thing about a non-deterministic algorithm is that it may make (nondeterministic) choices during execution. Also the first paragraph, even as it stands, is certainly not a "formal definition". If this is unclear, I'm happy to discuss. Sam Staton 10:06, 17 October 2007 (UTC)
I don't see how the edit being made by an anonymous editor is relevant. That being said, the point of the summery of any article is to make the subject matter approachable.
The 'old summary' is too technical and most definitely not approachable. Considering the old summary to be 99% accurate and completely unapproachable, and considering the new summary to be 80% accurate and totally approachable, I believe the less accurate and approachable definition is the better choice. Wikipedia guidelines also dictate that summaries should be approachable even if they are slightly inaccurate. Users wanting to know more about the subject will continue reading and learn the more correct definition, and people uninterested will leave knowing, for the most part, what they came to learn. If we turn these readers off from reading the article by slapping them across the face with an overly complicated summary, the reader loses and the writer doesn't gain anything.
Your concern about the 'new summary' being inaccurately is unwarranted anyway. Picking apart the word , the inverse of deterministic, yields no importance to making choices. If something is determined then the output has already been decided even before completion. The inverse would be: If something is not determined then the output has not already been decided. There is no implication of choices being made, and if there were and you still think its extremely important, than add that to the simple summary.
I have brought back the simple summary and have fixed a typo in it. I have also renamed the 'formal' definition to 'explicit' definition per your suggestion, which I agree with.