A restatement of the Algebraic Dichotomy Conjecture, due to Maroti and McKenzie, postulates that if a finite algebra A possesses a weak near-unanimity term, then the corresponding constraint satisfaction problem is tractable. A binary operation is weak near-unanimity if and only if it is both commutative and idempotent. Thus if the dichotomy conjecture is true, any finite commutative, idempotent groupoid (CI groupoid) will be tractable. It is known that every semilattice (i.e., an associative CI groupoid) is tractable. A groupoid identity is of Bol-Moufang type if the same three variables appear on either side, one of the variables is repeated, the remaining two variables appear once, and the variables appear in the same order on either side (for example, x(x(yz)) ≈ (x(xy))z). These identities can be thought of as generalizations of associativity. We show that there are exactly 8 varieties of CI groupoids defined by a single additional identity of Bol-Moufang type, derive some of their important structural properties, and use that structure theory to show that 7 of the varieties are tractable. We also characterize the finite members of the variety of CI groupoids satisfying the self-distributive law x(yz) ≈ (xy)(xz), and show that they are tractable.
I would like to dedicate this thesis to my parents. Mom-your patience and desire to understand just what it means to complete a Ph.D. have helped keep me focused on the bigger picture. Dad-your wisdom from years working in business has proven invaluable and transferrable to just about any struggle I've come up against in graduate school. Without the love and support received from both of you, I could not have made it this far.
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