Re: Can you find anything wrong with this solution to the Halting Problem?

From: Kenneth Doyle (nobody_at_notmail.com)
Date: 07/15/04 

Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 01:41:53 GMT

The Ghost In The Machine <ewill@aurigae.athghost7038suus.net>
wrote in news:o5sfs1-20v.ln1@lexi2.athghost7038suus.net:

> In sci.logic, Kenneth Doyle
> <nobody@notmail.com>
> wrote
> on Wed, 14 Jul 2004 09:46:55 GMT
> <Xns9526C9228C02Cnobodynotmailcom@61.9.191.5>:
>> Does it matter to any branch of
>> math theory whether or not a Turing machine actually can
>> be implemented (even hypothetically)?
>
> A Turing machine is a finite state machine with an infinite
> tape...And no, it doens't matter whether it can actually be
> implemented to mathematicians.

> (As far as your jukebox idea is concerned: it's been done;
> a fair number of backup systems exist which can select and
> use arbitrary cassette tapes in a rack (the cassettes in
> this case are bigger than the standard audio cassettes,
> but smaller than VHS video cartridges).

Right, that's what I based the concept on. We'd still need an
infinite supply of cassettes. In my habit as a computer
programmer, I initially thought that it would be possible to re-
use some of the cassettes. But then I realised that I'm asking
if a Turing machine can be created to correctly determine
whether any part of a tape is forever unreachable by some
arbitrary Turing machine. That's a question I haven't time to
tackle at the moment. 

-- 
CodeCutter - good, fast and cheap; pick two.

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