(definition)
Definition: A searching problem for which one can decompose the searched domain into subsets, find answers from these subsets, and combine these answers to form the solution to the original problem. More formally a problem with a query Q is decomposable given if there exists an efficiently computable associative and commutative binary operator @ satisfying the condition: Q(x, A ∪ B) = @(Q(x,A),Q(x,B)).
Note: From Algorithms and Theory of Computation Handbook, page 20-26, Copyright © 1999 by CRC Press LLC. Appearing in the Dictionary of Computer Science, Engineering and Technology, Copyright © 2000 CRC Press LLC.
Author: CRC-A
If you have suggestions, corrections, or comments, please get in touch with Paul E. Black.
Entry modified 17 December 2004.
HTML page formatted Mon Sep 11 09:46:02 2006.
Cite this as:
Algorithms and Theory of Computation Handbook, CRC Press LLC, 1999, "decomposable searching problem", in
Dictionary of Algorithms and Data
Structures [online], Paul E. Black, ed.,
U.S. National Institute of
Standards and Technology. 17 December 2004. (accessed TODAY)
Available from: http://www.nist.gov/dads/HTML/decomposable.html
