From the Editors: P ≠ NP

Abstract

When and if the statement in the title is proved, the person who proves it will win a million dollars and become an instant megastar. He or she will certainly appear on the front page of The New York Times and should expect invitations from late-night talk shows and to be the subject of a PBS Nova special. For a long time—a very long time—this fundamental open question about the relationship between P and NP has been the large white hippo blocking the main hallway of the Academy of Complexity Theory.