777 research outputs found
A combinatorial approach to knot recognition
This is a report on our ongoing research on a combinatorial approach to knot
recognition, using coloring of knots by certain algebraic objects called
quandles. The aim of the paper is to summarize the mathematical theory of knot
coloring in a compact, accessible manner, and to show how to use it for
computational purposes. In particular, we address how to determine colorability
of a knot, and propose to use SAT solving to search for colorings. The
computational complexity of the problem, both in theory and in our
implementation, is discussed. In the last part, we explain how coloring can be
utilized in knot recognition
Conflict-Free Coloring of Planar Graphs
A conflict-free k-coloring of a graph assigns one of k different colors to
some of the vertices such that, for every vertex v, there is a color that is
assigned to exactly one vertex among v and v's neighbors. Such colorings have
applications in wireless networking, robotics, and geometry, and are
well-studied in graph theory. Here we study the natural problem of the
conflict-free chromatic number chi_CF(G) (the smallest k for which
conflict-free k-colorings exist). We provide results both for closed
neighborhoods N[v], for which a vertex v is a member of its neighborhood, and
for open neighborhoods N(v), for which vertex v is not a member of its
neighborhood.
For closed neighborhoods, we prove the conflict-free variant of the famous
Hadwiger Conjecture: If an arbitrary graph G does not contain K_{k+1} as a
minor, then chi_CF(G) <= k. For planar graphs, we obtain a tight worst-case
bound: three colors are sometimes necessary and always sufficient. We also give
a complete characterization of the computational complexity of conflict-free
coloring. Deciding whether chi_CF(G)<= 1 is NP-complete for planar graphs G,
but polynomial for outerplanar graphs. Furthermore, deciding whether
chi_CF(G)<= 2 is NP-complete for planar graphs G, but always true for
outerplanar graphs. For the bicriteria problem of minimizing the number of
colored vertices subject to a given bound k on the number of colors, we give a
full algorithmic characterization in terms of complexity and approximation for
outerplanar and planar graphs.
For open neighborhoods, we show that every planar bipartite graph has a
conflict-free coloring with at most four colors; on the other hand, we prove
that for k in {1,2,3}, it is NP-complete to decide whether a planar bipartite
graph has a conflict-free k-coloring. Moreover, we establish that any general}
planar graph has a conflict-free coloring with at most eight colors.Comment: 30 pages, 17 figures; full version (to appear in SIAM Journal on
Discrete Mathematics) of extended abstract that appears in Proceeedings of
the Twenty-Eighth Annual ACM-SIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms (SODA
2017), pp. 1951-196
The Complexity of the List Partition Problem for Graphs
The k-partition problem is as follows: Given a graph G and a positive integer k, partition the vertices of G into at most k parts A1, A2, . . . , Ak, where it may be specified that Ai induces a stable set, a clique, or an arbitrary subgraph, and pairs Ai, Aj (i≠j) be completely nonadjacent, completely adjacent, or arbitrarily adjacent. The list k-partition problem generalizes the k-partition problem by specifying for each vertex x, a list L(x) of parts in which it is allowed to be placed. Many well-known graph problems can be formulated as list k-partition problems: e.g., 3-colorability, clique cutset, stable cutset, homogeneous set, skew partition, and 2-clique cutset. We classify, with the exception of two polynomially equivalent problems, each list 4-partition problem as either solvable in polynomial time or NP-complete. In doing so, we provide polynomial-time algorithms for many problems whose polynomial-time solvability was open, including the list 2-clique cutset problem. This also allows us to classify each list generalized 2-clique cutset problem and list generalized skew partition problem as solvable in polynomial time or NP-complete
Solving Hard Computational Problems Efficiently: Asymptotic Parametric Complexity 3-Coloring Algorithm
Many practical problems in almost all scientific and technological
disciplines have been classified as computationally hard (NP-hard or even
NP-complete). In life sciences, combinatorial optimization problems frequently
arise in molecular biology, e.g., genome sequencing; global alignment of
multiple genomes; identifying siblings or discovery of dysregulated pathways.In
almost all of these problems, there is the need for proving a hypothesis about
certain property of an object that can be present only when it adopts some
particular admissible structure (an NP-certificate) or be absent (no admissible
structure), however, none of the standard approaches can discard the hypothesis
when no solution can be found, since none can provide a proof that there is no
admissible structure. This article presents an algorithm that introduces a
novel type of solution method to "efficiently" solve the graph 3-coloring
problem; an NP-complete problem. The proposed method provides certificates
(proofs) in both cases: present or absent, so it is possible to accept or
reject the hypothesis on the basis of a rigorous proof. It provides exact
solutions and is polynomial-time (i.e., efficient) however parametric. The only
requirement is sufficient computational power, which is controlled by the
parameter . Nevertheless, here it is proved that the
probability of requiring a value of to obtain a solution for a
random graph decreases exponentially: , making
tractable almost all problem instances. Thorough experimental analyses were
performed. The algorithm was tested on random graphs, planar graphs and
4-regular planar graphs. The obtained experimental results are in accordance
with the theoretical expected results.Comment: Working pape
Near-colorings: non-colorable graphs and NP-completeness
A graph G is (d_1,..,d_l)-colorable if the vertex set of G can be partitioned
into subsets V_1,..,V_l such that the graph G[V_i] induced by the vertices of
V_i has maximum degree at most d_i for all 1 <= i <= l. In this paper, we focus
on complexity aspects of such colorings when l=2,3. More precisely, we prove
that, for any fixed integers k,j,g with (k,j) distinct form (0,0) and g >= 3,
either every planar graph with girth at least g is (k,j)-colorable or it is
NP-complete to determine whether a planar graph with girth at least g is
(k,j)-colorable. Also, for any fixed integer k, it is NP-complete to determine
whether a planar graph that is either (0,0,0)-colorable or
non-(k,k,1)-colorable is (0,0,0)-colorable. Additionally, we exhibit
non-(3,1)-colorable planar graphs with girth 5 and non-(2,0)-colorable planar
graphs with girth 7
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