In order theory, a branch of mathematics, the least fixed point (lfp or LFP, sometimes also smallest fixed point) of a function from a partially ordered set ("poset" for short) to itself is the fixed point which is less than each other fixed point, according to the order of the poset. A function need not have a least fixed point, but if it does, then the least fixed point is unique.

Examples

With the usual order on the real numbers, the least fixed point of the real function f(x) =x2 is x=0 (since the only other fixed point is 1 and 0<1). In contrast, f(x) =x+1 has no fixed points at all, so has no least one, and f(x) =x has infinitely many fixed points, but has no least one.

be a directed graph be a vertex. The set is defined by a similar least fix-point. The strongly connected component is the intersection of those two least fixed-points.

be a context-free grammar of symbols which produces the empty string denotes the power set.

Applications

Many fixed-point theorems yield algorithms for locating the least fixed point. Least fixed points often have desirable properties that arbitrary fixed points do not.

Denotational semantics

In computer science, the denotational semantics, is introduced, denoting the exceptional value "undefined". Given e.g. the program datatype int, see picture.

The semantics of a program definition int f(int n){...} If the program definition f does not terminate for some input n For example, the semantics of the expression x+x/x is less defined than that of x+1 and they agree otherwise.

Given some program text f, its mathematical counterpart is obtained as least fixed point of some mapping from functions to functions that can be obtained by "translating" f. For example, the C definition is translated to a mapping

is defined in a non-recursive way, although fact was defined recursively. Under certain restrictions (see Kleene fixed-point theorem. It is possible to show that

defined by

e.g. the call fact(-1) will not terminate at all, let alone return 0. Only the least can reasonably be used as a mathematical program semantic.

Descriptive complexity

Immerman and Vardi independently showed the descriptive complexity result that the polynomial-time computable properties of linearly ordered structures are definable in FO(LFP), i.e. in first-order logic with a least fixed point operator. However, FO(LFP) is too weak to express all polynomial-time properties of unordered structures (for instance that a structure has even size).

Greatest fixed points

The greatest fixed point of a function can be defined analogously to the least fixed point, as the fixed point which is greater than any other fixed point, according to the order of the poset. In computer science, greatest fixed points are much less commonly used than least fixed points. Specifically, the posets found in domain theory usually do not have a greatest element, hence for a given function, there may be multiple, mutually incomparable maximal fixed points, and the greatest fixed point of that function may not exist. To address this issue, the optimal fixed point has been defined as the most-defined fixed point compatible with all other fixed points. The optimal fixed point always exists, and is the greatest fixed point if the greatest fixed point exists. The optimal fixed point allows formal study of recursive and corecursive functions that do not converge with the least fixed point. Unfortunately, whereas Kleene's recursion theorem shows that the least fixed point is effectively computable, the optimal fixed point of a computable function may be a non-computable function.

See also

• Knaster–Tarski theorem

• Fixed-point logic

Notes

References

• Immerman, Neil. Descriptive Complexity, 1999, Springer-Verlag.

• Libkin, Leonid. Elements of Finite Model Theory, 2004, Springer.