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high_depth_not_large

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For real tau greater than 1, the property that a Boolean function has false-point fraction at least tau cannot be large. Complexity theorists studying natural-proof barriers would cite this to exclude high-depth properties from arguments that rely on largeness. The proof is a direct counting argument that specializes the IsLarge bound to n=1, invokes emptiness of the property, and derives 0 greater than or equal to 4.

claimLet $tau > 1$. Let $P$ be the property on Boolean functions defined by $P(n,f)$ holding precisely when the false-point fraction of $f$ is at least $tau$. If $P$ is large, i.e., there exists a natural number $k$ such that for every $n>0$ the number of $n$-ary truth tables satisfying $P$ is at least $2^{2^n}/n^k$, then a contradiction follows.

background

Natural proofs require a property that is constructive, large, and useful; largeness means the property holds for at least a $1/n^k$ fraction of all $n$-ary truth tables. HighDepthProp(tau) is the property that the false-point fraction of a Boolean function is at least tau. IsLarge(P) packages an explicit counting bound together with a decidability witness for P.

proof idea

Assume IsLarge(HighDepthProp tau). Specialize the count_bound clause to n=1 to obtain that the filtered count times 1^k is at least 4. Apply high_depth_empty to show that the filter over all four functions is empty, so the count is zero. Rewrite with zero_mul and obtain the numerical contradiction 0 greater than or equal to 4, which omega discharges.

why it matters in Recognition Science

The result is invoked inside jfrust_not_natural to conclude that HighDepthProp cannot be natural when tau exceeds 1, thereby showing that the Razborov-Rudich barrier does not apply to J-frustration. It supplies the concrete step that high depth fails the largeness requirement inside the natural-proof definition. In the Recognition Science setting this supports the broader claim that J-frustration lies outside the natural-proof regime.

scope and limits

formal statement (Lean)

 121theorem high_depth_not_large (tau : ℝ) (htau : 1 < tau) :
 122    IsLarge (HighDepthProp tau) → False := by

proof body

Tactic-mode proof.

 123  intro ⟨k, dec, hcount⟩
 124  -- For n = 1: the filter is empty (no function satisfies the property)
 125  have h1 := hcount 1 (by norm_num)
 126  -- Every function fails HighDepthProp tau when tau > 1
 127  have hempty : (Finset.univ.filter (fun f : (Fin 1 → Bool) → Bool =>
 128      @decide (HighDepthProp tau 1 f) (dec 1 f))).card = 0 := by
 129    rw [Finset.card_eq_zero, Finset.filter_eq_empty_iff]
 130    intro f _
 131    simp only [decide_eq_true_eq]
 132    exact high_depth_empty tau htau f
 133  -- So 0 * 1^k ≥ |all truth tables| = 2^2 = 4
 134  rw [hempty, zero_mul] at h1
 135  have hpos : 0 < Finset.univ.card (α := (Fin 1 → Bool) → Bool) := by
 136    exact Finset.card_pos.mpr ⟨fun _ => false, Finset.mem_univ _⟩
 137  omega
 138
 139/-- **THEOREM (Barrier Bypass).**
 140    High depth (τ > 1) cannot be the basis of a natural proof. -/

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