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From: notes@ucf-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.ai
Subject: Re: A halting problem
Message-ID: <2204@ucf-cs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 14-Jan-86 05:09:17 EST
Article-I.D.: ucf-cs.2204
Posted: Tue Jan 14 05:09:17 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 15-Jan-86 01:38:37 EST
Sender: notes@ucf-cs.UUCP
Organization: Univ. of Central Florida, Orlando
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Nf-ID: #R:aecom:-217500:ucf-cs:47500001:000:1209
Nf-From: ucf-cs!hadaller    Jan 13 20:57:00 1986

/***** ucf-cs:net.ai / aecom!berger / 10:14 am  Jan 10, 1986*/

>  	There exists a proof that a computer procedure cannot be written
>  such that given a procedure as input, it can tell you if that procedure
>  contains an infinite loop. In other words, there does not exist a procedure
>  halt that returns TRUE if the input procedure does not contain an
>  endless loop, and FALSE otherwise....

This much is true...

>  	The human mind, on the other hand, given enough time an
>  practice, can find an endless loop in any procedure. (You doubt this?)
>  After going through any loop several times, it can usually hit me,
>  "HEY! There is no time I'm ever get out of this loop!" ...

Oops! This is where the flame starts. That the human mind can always find an
endless loop in any procedure, as far as I know, has not yet been proven,
though it may very well be true most of the time.

>  ....This would mean that there is a set of problems no procedure
>  can ever do, yet the human mind does....

There are many things a proceedure can not be guaranteed to do, but
that it can do most of the time. Remember, there are very few things a
human mind can be guaranteed to do.

					hadaller
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