A SAT-based Approach for Specification, Analysis, and Justification of Reductions between NP-complete Problems

Abstract

We propose a novel framework for developing, analyzing, and validating reductions between NP-complete problems. Powered by the SAT-based constraint solver URSA, our methodology introduces several distinct features that set it apart from other related approaches. The proposed workflow effectively bridges the crucial gap between informal, high-level reduction descriptions and formalized mathematical proofs. By supplementing rather than replacing human intuition, this interactive methodology serves as an aid for exploring relationships between NP-complete problems.