Means-fit effectivity (2002.03145v2)

Abstract: Historically, the notion of effective algorithm is closely related to the Church-Turing thesis. But effectivity imposes no restriction on computation time or any other resource; in that sense, it is incompatible with engineering or physics. We propose a natural generalization of it, means-fitting effectivity, which is effectivity relative to the (physical or abstract) underlying machinery of the algorithm. This machinery varies from one class of algorithms to another. Think for example of ruler-and-compass algorithms, arithmetical algorithms, and Blum-Shub-Smale algorithms. We believe that means-fitting effectivity is meaningful and useful independently of the Church-Turing thesis. Means-fitting effectivity is definable, at least in the theory of abstract state machines (ASMs). The definition elucidates original effectivity as well. Familiarity with the ASM theory is not assumed. We tried to make the paper self-contained.