Matrix Transformation Is Complete for the Average Case

Abstract

In the theory of worst case complexity, NP completeness is used to establish that, for all practical purposes, the given NP problem is not decidable in polynomial time. In the theory of average case complexity, average case completeness is supposed to play the role of NP completeness. However, the average case reduction theory is still at an early stage, and only a few average case complete problems are known. The first algebraic problem complete for the average case under a natural probability distribution is presented. The problem is this: Given a unimodular matrix X of integers, a set S of linear transformations of such unimodular matrices and a natural number n, decide if there is a product of $\leq n$ (not necessarily different) members of S that takes X to the identity matrix.