Structure and Design of Problem Reduction Generators

B. M oller (Ed.), North-Holland, 1991, pp 91{124. Structure and Design of Problem Reduction Generators Douglas R. Smith Kestrel Institute 3260 Hillview Avenue Palo Alto, California 94304-1216 ABSTRACT In this paper we present an axiomatic theory for a class of algorithms, called problem reduction generators, that includes dynamic programming, general branch-and-bound, and game tree search as special cases. This problem reduction theory is used as the basis for a mechanizable design tactic that transforms formal speci cations into problem reduction generators. The theory and tactic are illustrated by application to the problem of enumerating optimal binary search trees.