N vs NP

I was up late today – or rather, late for me – about 8am. After I’d got washed, felt my washing, had my morning pills & made something to eat, I finally settled down to a relaxing mug of tea just after 9am, a rest before getting on to my next chore of the day.

As usual I put BBC Radio 4 on. It turned out to be “In Our Time”. That was a mistake.

The subject under discussion was “P vs NP”. The very title leaves me baffled. In case you don’t know they are mathematical terms, important to understand for encryption, for computers & their security, for sorting out DNA sequencing etc.

As the programme went on I was more & more confused. The experts tended to talk quickly, losing me on the way. Occasionally, Melvyn Bragg, the host of the programme intervened with a “But why is it so difficult?” to be answered with a “It just is” – not particularly enlightening.

I find this a difficult programme. It requires a level of knowledge I just don’t have, especially when more scientific matters are under discussion. I can usually cope with history or art for example.

In some ways I applaud the BBC for putting on programmes that are not dumbed down, that require you to use your intelligence & not just half-listen to. My real problem is that they broadcast it at either 9am or 9.30pm, just when I’m either waking up or dropping off to sleep, certainly not a time when I am most intellectually alert! Today it was almost enough to send me back to bed again to sleep it off.

It was with relief I got on to the next task of the day – peeling some spuds for some chips to accompany that lamb pizza tonight.