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patternMinor

A simple question on #P

Submitted by: @import:stackexchange-cs··
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Problem

Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharp-P) says 'In computational complexity theory, the complexity class #P (pronounced "number P" or, sometimes "sharp P" or "hash P") is the set of the counting problems associated with the decision problems in the set NP'.

Is there a counting version for CoNP problems?

Solution

Expanding on Timot's comment, $\# P$ consists of all functions which can be expressed as the number of accepting computations of some non-deterministic Turing machine running in polynomial time. It is also the class of all functions which can be expressed at the number of non-accepting computations of some non-deterministic Turing machine running in polynomial time (exercise).

If $f \in \# P$ then $\{ x : f(x) \geq 1 \} \in N\! P$ and $\{x : f(x) = 0 \} \in \mathrm{co}N\! P$; and vice versa, if $L \in N\!P$ ($L \in \mathrm{co}N\!P$) then it can be expressed in the form $\{ x : f(x) \geq 1 \}$ ($\{ x : f(x) = 0 \}$) for some $f \in \# P$.

Context

StackExchange Computer Science Q#14649, answer score: 4

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