A factor-two approximation for shortest common superstring
OpenAI research collection · 1 manuscript · Source checked 2026-10-19
OpenAI's result summary
Gives a deterministic polynomial-time algorithm constructing a common superstring of length at most twice the optimum for every finite family of explicitly represented strings. The running time is polynomial in the full encoded input length, including symbol labels.
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MANUSCRIPT 01
A Polynomial-Time 2-Approximation for Shortest Common Superstring
We give a deterministic algorithm that, for every finite family of explicitly represented ordinary strings, outputs a common superstring of length at most twice the optimum in time polynomial in the total encoded input size, including symbol labels. The guarantee applies to the algorithm constructed here, not the classical…
Full source abstract
We give a deterministic algorithm that, for every finite family of explicitly represented ordinary strings, outputs a common superstring of length at most twice the optimum in time polynomial in the total encoded input size, including symbol labels. The guarantee applies to the algorithm constructed here, not the classical maximum-overlap Greedy procedure.
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New mathematical reasoning could help AI tackle harder scientific and computational problems. How reliably these skills transfer beyond mathematics will determine how much they contribute to general intelligence.