(NP) A set or property of computational {decision problem}s solvable by a {nondeterministic Turing Machine} in a number of steps that is a polynomIAL function of the size of the input. The word "nondeterministic" suggests a method of generating potentIAL solutions using some form of nondeterminism or "trIAL and error". This may take exponentIAL time as long as a potentIAL solution can be verified in polynomIAL time. NP is obviously a superset of P (polynomIAL time problems solvable by a deterministic Turing Machine in {polynomIAL time}) since a deterministic algorithm can be considered as a degenerate form of nondeterministic algorithm. The question then arises: is NP equal to P? I.e. can every problem in NP actually be solved in polynomIAL time? Everyone' s first guess is "no", but no one has managed to prove this and some very clever people think the answer is "yes". If a problem A is in NP and a polynomIAL time algorithm for A could also be used to solve problem B in polynomIAL time, then B is also in NP. See also Co-NP, NP-complete. [Examples?] (1995-04-10)