PPL 152 / 177 permanent IDsPrize Problem Ledger · PPLChecked 2026.07.26
Prize Problem LedgerIndependentPPL 152Shallit #2 · Tight bounds for CFG word separation

Permanent problem IDPPL 152

Source-statedIndependentconjecture

Formal languages

Shallit #2 · Tight bounds for CFG word separation

Find matching upper and lower bounds for the number of productions needed by a Chomsky-normal-form context-free grammar to separate equal-length words.

automata theorytheoretical computer scienceformal languages
01

The problem

Find matching upper and lower bounds for the number of productions needed by a Chomsky-normal-form context-free grammar to separate equal-length words.

Open since1999historical source
Last checked2026.07.26Catalog verification
02

Reward offers

Offer 01£10Jeffrey Shallit
Personal offer

Personal cash offer stated in Shallit’s official talk. The live talks page records subsequent updates, including a paid solution to one omitted problem; confirm claim procedure with the sponsor before relying on the award.

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Sources & reading