Bin packing can be solved within 1 + ε in linear time

For any listL ofn numbers in (0, 1) letL* denote the minimum number of unit capacity bins needed to pack the elements ofL. We prove that, for every positive ε, there exists anO(n)-time algorithmS such that, ifS(L) denotes the number of bins used byS forL, thenS(L)/L*≦1+ε for anyL providedL* is sufficiently large. The work of this author was supported by NSF Grant MCS 70-04997.     

On the average hyperoscillations of planted plane trees

Assume that the leaves of a planted plane tree are enumerated from left to right by 1, 2, .... Thej-ths-turn of the tree is defined to be the root of the (unique) subtree of minimal height with leavesj, j+1, ...,j+s−1. If all trees withn nodes are regarded equally likely, the average level number of thej-ths-turn tends to a finite limitα _s (j), which is of orderj ^1/2. Thej-th ”s-hyperoscillation”α ₁(j)−α _s+1(j) is given by 1/2α ₁(s)+O(j ^−1/2) and therefore tends (forj → ∞) to a constant behaving like √8/π·s ^1/2 fors → ∞. These results are obtained by setting up appropriate generating functions, which are expanded about their (algebraic) singularities nearest to the origin, so that the asymptotic formulas are consequences of the so-called Darboux-Pólyamethod.     

Matching is as easy as matrix inversion

We present a new algorithm for finding a maximum matching in a general graph. The special feature of our algorithm is that its only computationally non-trivial step is the inversion of a single integer matrix. Since this step can be parallelized, we get a simple parallel (RNC ²) algorithm. At the heart of our algorithm lies a probabilistic lemma, the isolating lemma. We show other applications of this lemma to parallel computation and randomized reductions. Work done while visiting MSRI, Berkeley, in Fall 1985. Supported by NSF Grant BCR 85-03611 and an IBM Faculty Development Award.     

Eigenvalues,geometric expanders,sorting in rounds,and ramsey theory

Expanding graphs are relevant to theoretical computer science in several ways. Here we show that the points versus hyperplanes incidence graphs of finite geometries form highly (nonlinear) expanding graphs with essentially the smallest possible number of edges. The expansion properties of the graphs are proved using the eigenvalues of their adjacency matrices. These graphs enable us to improve previous results on a parallel sorting problem that arises in structural modeling, by describing an explicit algorithm to sortn elements ink time units using parallel processors, where, e.g., α₂=7/4, α₃=8/5, α₄=26/17 and α₅=22/15. Our approach also yields several applications to Ramsey Theory and other extremal problems in combinatorics.     

Alternating cycle-free matchings

The investigation of alternating cycle-free matchings is motivated by the Jump-number problem for partially ordered sets and the problem of counting maximum cardinality matchings in hexagonal systems.We show that the problem of deciding whether a given chordal bipartite graph has an alternating cycle-free matching of a given cardinality is NP-complete. A weaker result, for bipartite graphs only, has been known for some time. Also, the alternating cycle-free matching problem remains NP-complete for strongly chordal split graphs of diameter 2.In contrast, we give algorithms to solve the alternating cycle-free matching problem in polynomial time for bipartite distance hereditary graphs (time O(m ²) on graphs with m edges) and distance hereditary graphs (time O(m ⁵)).     

Dense sets and embedding binary trees into hypercubes

The purpose of this paper is to describe a method for embedding binary trees into hypercubes based on an iterative embedding into their subgraphs induced by dense sets. As a particular application, we present a class of binary trees, defined in terms of size of their subtrees, whose members allow a dilation two embedding into their optimal hypercubes. This provides a partial evidence in favor of a long-standing conjecture of Bhatt and Ipsen which claims that such an embedding exists for an arbitrary binary tree.     

How to make a digraph strongly connected

Given a directed graphG, acovering is a subsetB of edges which meets all directed cuts ofG. Equivalently, the contraction of the elements ofB makesG strongly connected. AnO(n ⁵) primal-dual algorithm is presented for finding a minimum weight covering of an edge-weighted digraph. The algorithm also provides a constructive proof for a min-max theorem due to Lucchesi and Younger and for its weighted version.     

On encodings of spanning trees

Deo and Micikevicius recently gave a new bijection for spanning trees of complete bipartite graphs. In this paper we devise a generalization of Deo and Micikevicius's method, which is also a modification of Olah's method for encoding the spanning trees of any complete multipartite graph K(n₁,…,n_r). We also give a bijection between the spanning trees of a planar graph and those of any of its planar duals. Finally we discuss the possibility of bijections for spanning trees of DeBriujn graphs, cubes, and regular graphs such as the Petersen graph that have integer eigenvalues.     

A linear time algorithm to find the jump number of 2-dimensional bipartite partial orders

Let L=u ₁ , u ₂ , ..., u _k be a linear extension of a poset P. Each pair (u _i , u _i+1 ) of unrelated elements in P is called a jump of L. The jump number problem is to find L with the minimum number of jumps. The problem is known to be NP-hard even on bipartite posets. Here we present a linear time algorithm for it in 2-dimensional bipartite posets. We also discuss briefly some weighted cases.     

On the spanning trees of weighted graphs

Given a weighted graph, letW ₁,W ₂,W ₃,... denote the increasing sequence of all possible distinct spanning tree weights. Settling a conjecture due to Kano, we prove that every spanning tree of weightW ₁ is at mostk–1 edge swaps away from some spanning tree of weightW _k . Three other conjectures posed by Kano are proven for two special classes of graphs. Finally, we consider the algorithmic complexity of generating a spanning tree of weightW _k .This work was supported in part by a grant from the AT&T foundation and NSF grant DCR-8351757.Primarily supported by a 1967 Science and Engineering Scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.     

The complexity of detecting crossingfree configurations in the plane

The computational complexity of the following type of problem is studied. Given a geometric graphG=(P, S) whereP is a set of points in the Euclidean plane andS a set of straight (closed) line segments between pairs of points inP, we want to know whetherG possesses a crossingfree subgraph of a special type. We analyze the problem of detecting crossingfree spanning trees, one factors and two factors in the plane. We also consider special restrictions on the slopes and on the lengths of the edges in the subgraphs.Klaus Jansen acknowledges support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Gerhard J. Woeginger acknowledges support by the Christian Doppler Laboratorium für Diskrete Optimierung.     

A strongly polynomial minimum cost circulation algorithm

A new algorithm is presented for the minimum cost circulation problem. The algorithm is strongly polynomial, that is, the number of arithmetic operations is polynomial in the number of nodes, and is independent of both costs and capacities.     

Inverses of trees

LetT be a tree with a perfect matching. It is known that in this case the adjacency matrixA ofT is invertible and thatA ^?1 is a (0, 1, ?1)-matrix. We show that in factA ^?1 is diagonally similar to a (0, 1)-matrix, hence to the adjacency matrix of a graph. We use this to provide sharp bounds on the least positive eigenvalue ofA and some general information concerning the behaviour of this eigenvalue. Some open problems raised by this work and connections with Möbius inversion on partially ordered sets are also discussed.     

An Ω(n 5/4) lower bound on the randomized complexity of graph properties

A decision tree algorithm determines whether an input graph withn nodes has a property by examining the entries of the graph's adjacency matrix and branching according to the information already gained. All graph properties which are monotone (not destroyed by the addition of edges) and nontrivial (holds for somes but not all graphs) have been shown to require (n ²) queries in the worst case.In this paper, we investigate the power of randomness in recognizing these properties by considering randomized decision tree algorithms in which coins may be flipped to determine the next entry to be examined. The complexity of a randomized algorithm is the expected number of entries that are examined in the worst case. The randomized complexity of a property is the minimum complexity of any randomized decision tree algorithm which computes the property. We improve Yao's lower bound on the randomized complexity of any nontrivial monotone graph property from (n log^1/12 n) to (n ^5/4).     

The monotone circuit complexity of boolean functions

Recently, Razborov obtained superpolynomial lower bounds for monotone circuits that cliques in graphs. In particular, Razborov showed that detecting cliques of sizes in a graphm vertices requires monotone circuits of size Ω(m ^s /(logm)^2s ) for fixeds, and sizem ^Ω(logm) form/4]. In this paper we modify the arguments of Razborov to obtain exponential lower bounds for circuits. In particular, detecting cliques of size (1/4) (m/logm)^2/3 requires monotone circuits exp (Ω((m/logm)^1/3)). For fixeds, any monotone circuit that detects cliques of sizes requiresm) ^s ) AND gates. We show that even a very rough approximation of the maximum clique of a graph requires superpolynomial size monotone circuits, and give lower bounds for some Boolean functions. Our best lower bound for an NP function ofn variables is exp (Ω(n ^1/4 · (logn)^1/2)), improving a recent result of exp (Ω(n ^1/8-ε)) due to Andreev. First author supported in part by Allon Fellowship, by Bat Sheva de-Rotschild Foundation by the Fund for basic research administered by the Israel Academy of Sciences. Second author supported in part by a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship.     

On the average oscillation of a stack

Evaluating a binary tree in postorder we assume that in one unit of time zero or two nodes are removed from the top of the stack and one node is stored in the stack. The oscillation of the stack can be described by a functionf wheref(t) is the number of nodes in the stack aftert units of time. In this paper we shall first derive several new enumeration results concerning planted plane trees. In the second part we shall prove, that the average number of maxima (MAX-turns) and minima (MIN-turns) of the functionf isn/2 andn/2—1, respectively, provided that all binary trees withn leaves are equally likely. Finally, we shall compute for largen and fixedj the average increase (decrease) of the length of the stack between thej-th MIN-turn and (j+1)-th MAX-turn (between thej-th MAX-turn and thej-th MIN-turn). This result implies that the average oscillation of the stack can be described by the functionf(j)=4√j/π−(−1) ^j +O(1/√j) for largen and fixed turn-numberj.     

Minimum edge ranking spanning trees of split graphs

Given a graph G, the minimum edge ranking spanning tree problem (MERST) is to find a spanning tree of G whose edge ranking is minimum. However, this problem is known to be NP-hard for general graphs. In this paper, we show that the problem MERST has a polynomial time algorithm for split graphs, which have useful applications in practice. The result is also significant in the sense that this is a first non-trivial graph class for which the problem MERST is found to be polynomially solvable. We also show that the problem MERST for threshold graphs can be solved in linear time, where threshold graphs are known to be split.     

NP-completeness properties about linear extensions

Following the pioneering work of Kierstead, we present here some complexity results about the construction of depth-first greedy linear extensions. We prove that the recognition of Dilworth partially ordered sets of height 2, as defined by Syslo, is NP-complete. This last result yields a new proof of the NP-completeness of the jump number problem, first proved by Pulleyblank.     

Disjoint paths in a rectilinear grid

We give a good characterization and a good algorithm for a special case of the integral multicommodity flow problem when the graph is defined by a rectangle on a rectilinear grid. The problem was raised by engineers motivated by some basic questions of constructing printed circuit boards.     

How to draw a planar graph on a grid

Answering a question of Rosenstiehl and Tarjan, we show that every plane graph withn vertices has a Fáry embedding (i.e., straight-line embedding) on the 2n–4 byn–2 grid and provide anO(n) space,O(n logn) time algorithm to effect this embedding. The grid size is asymptotically optimal and it had been previously unknown whether one can always find a polynomial sized grid to support such an embedding. On the other hand we show that any setF, which can support a Fáry embedding of every planar graph of sizen, has cardinality at leastn+(1–o(1))n which settles a problem of Mohar.Supported in part by P. R. C. Mathematiques et Informatique.Supported in part by HSF grant 1814.Part of the work on this paper was done while this author was on sabbatical leave at école Normal Supérieure and école des Hautes études en Sciences Sociales; supported in part by NSF grant DMS-850 1947.