(definition)
Definition: (1) Extra information so the correctness of an answer to a decision problem can be quickly checked. (2) For any graph property P and graph G, a certificate for G is a graph G' such that G has property P if and only if G' has the property.
See also witness.
Note: (1) After comp.theory FAQ. (2) From Algorithms and Theory of Computation Handbook, page 8-22, Copyright © 1999 by CRC Press LLC. Appearing in the Dictionary of Computer Science, Engineering and Technology, Copyright © 2000 CRC Press LLC.
If you have suggestions, corrections, or comments, please get in touch with Paul Black.
Entry modified 17 December 2004.
HTML page formatted Mon Feb 2 13:10:39 2015.
Cite this as:
Paul E. Black and Algorithms and Theory of Computation Handbook, CRC Press LLC, 1999, "certificate", in
Dictionary of Algorithms and Data Structures [online], Vreda Pieterse and Paul E. Black, eds. 17 December 2004. (accessed TODAY)
Available from: http://www.nist.gov/dads/HTML/certificate.html