# Shortest reconfiguration paths in the solution space of Boolean formulas

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1404.3801 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1404.3801/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 15 Apr 2014.

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Dominating Set Reconfiguration with Answer Set Programming](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.07510/) (2024)
- [Reconfiguring Shortest Paths in Graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.07499/) (2021)
- [Bounded Combinatorial Reconfiguration with Answer Set Programming](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.10688/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Given a Boolean formula and a satisfying assignment, a flip is an operation that changes the value of a variable in the assignment so that the resulting assignment remains satisfying. We study the problem of computing the shortest sequence of flips (if one exists) that transforms a given satisfying assignment s to another satisfying assignment t of a Boolean formula. Earlier work characterized the complexity of finding any (not necessarily the shortest) sequence of flips from one satisfying assignment to another using Schaefer's framework for classification of Boolean formulas. We build on it to provide a trichotomy for the complexity of finding the shortest sequence of flips and show that it is either in P, NP-complete, or PSPACE-complete. Our result adds to the small set of complexity results known for shortest reconfiguration sequence problems by providing an example where the shortest sequence can be found in polynomial time even though its length is not equal to the symmetric difference of the values of the variables in s and t. This is in contrast to all reconfiguration problems studied so far, where polynomial time algorithms for computing the shortest path were known only for cases where the path modified the symmetric difference only.