On the subset sum problem over finite fields

Abstract. The subset sum problem over finite fields is a well known NPcomplete problem. It arises naturally from decoding generalized Reed-Solomon codes. In this paper, we study the number of solutions of the subset sum problem from a mathematicial point of view. In several interesting cases, we obtain explicit or asymptotic formulas for the solution number. As a consequence, we get some information on the decoding problem of Reed-Solomon codes.

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: FFA
• Authors: Jiyou Li, Daqing Wan
• Keywords: FFA 2008, NPcomplete Problem, Reed-Solomon Codes, Subset Sum Problem