7.4. Mapping Reductions between Partially Computable Problems

Recall the fundamental theorem of mapping reducibility.

Theorem. If B is computable and A m B then A is computable.

Theorem. If A is uncomputable and A m B then B is uncomputable.

Earlier, I said that mapping reductions have some advantages over Turing reductions. One advantage is that mapping reductions between partially computable languages in some sense preserve partial computability.

Suppose A and B are two languages.

Theorem. If B is partially computable and Am B, then A is partially computable.

Theorem. If A is not partially computable and Am B, then B is not partially computable.

The proof is left as an exercise.