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Subject: Re: The problem with big-O is one of definitions

Author: Vincent Vega

Date: 17:29:49 05/09/01

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On May 09, 2001 at 20:05:24, Dann Corbit wrote:

>On May 09, 2001 at 20:00:09, Peter McKenzie wrote:
>
>>On May 09, 2001 at 19:34:08, Dann Corbit wrote:
>>
>>>On May 09, 2001 at 19:31:32, Ricardo Gibert wrote:
>>>[snip]
>>>>>If someone pays you to give an algorithm analysis of chess will you really
>>>>>report that it is O(1)?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Yes and I will point to the access of Nalimov EGTBs as an example of such an
>>>>algorithm. I will observe that in principle 5-man EGTBs can be extended to
>>>>32-man EGTBS, though this has no practical significance.
>>>
>>>This is an incompetent assessment.  32 man EGTB's cannot even conceivably be
>>>attempted if half the universe were turned into computers and the other half
>>>computed madly until the power went out.
>>
>>Dan, it seems to me that Ricardo is presenting a logical argument here.  I don't
>>think the argument is refuted by you calling it incompetent!
>>
>>Similarly, I don't see why the practical difficulties of constructing 32 man
>>EGTBs should detract from their theoretical existance.
>
>Because if you can't make one, it won't ever exist.
>

Lowest estimates of the number of atoms in the Universe are about 10^30 times
larger than the estimates of the number of tablebase entries needed to play
perfect chess from the starting position.  This doesn't even take into account
the fact that only a very small fraction of these positions have a chance of
occurring in a game played perfectly by one side and that compressing them is
quite possible.  So please stop perpetuating this "Universe" nonsense.



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