712 research outputs found
Cycles in the burnt pancake graphs
The pancake graph is the Cayley graph of the symmetric group on
elements generated by prefix reversals. has been shown to have
properties that makes it a useful network scheme for parallel processors. For
example, it is -regular, vertex-transitive, and one can embed cycles in
it of length with . The burnt pancake graph ,
which is the Cayley graph of the group of signed permutations using
prefix reversals as generators, has similar properties. Indeed, is
-regular and vertex-transitive. In this paper, we show that has every
cycle of length with . The proof given is a
constructive one that utilizes the recursive structure of . We also
present a complete characterization of all the -cycles in for , which are the smallest cycles embeddable in , by presenting their
canonical forms as products of the prefix reversal generators.Comment: Added a reference, clarified some definitions, fixed some typos. 42
pages, 9 figures, 20 pages of appendice
Random induced subgraphs of Cayley graphs induced by transpositions
In this paper we study random induced subgraphs of Cayley graphs of the
symmetric group induced by an arbitrary minimal generating set of
transpositions. A random induced subgraph of this Cayley graph is obtained by
selecting permutations with independent probability, . Our main
result is that for any minimal generating set of transpositions, for
probabilities where , a random induced subgraph has a.s. a unique
largest component of size , where
is the survival probability of a specific branching process.Comment: 18 pages, 1 figur
Diameter of Cayley graphs of permutation groups generated by transposition trees
Let be a Cayley graph of the permutation group generated by a
transposition tree on vertices. In an oft-cited paper
\cite{Akers:Krishnamurthy:1989} (see also \cite{Hahn:Sabidussi:1997}), it is
shown that the diameter of the Cayley graph is bounded as
\diam(\Gamma) \le \max_{\pi \in S_n}{c(\pi)-n+\sum_{i=1}^n
\dist_T(i,\pi(i))}, where the maximization is over all permutations ,
denotes the number of cycles in , and \dist_T is the distance
function in . In this work, we first assess the performance (the sharpness
and strictness) of this upper bound. We show that the upper bound is sharp for
all trees of maximum diameter and also for all trees of minimum diameter, and
we exhibit some families of trees for which the bound is strict. We then show
that for every , there exists a tree on vertices, such that the
difference between the upper bound and the true diameter value is at least
.
Observe that evaluating this upper bound requires on the order of (times
a polynomial) computations. We provide an algorithm that obtains an estimate of
the diameter, but which requires only on the order of (polynomial in)
computations; furthermore, the value obtained by our algorithm is less than or
equal to the previously known diameter upper bound. This result is possible
because our algorithm works directly with the transposition tree on
vertices and does not require examining any of the permutations (only the proof
requires examining the permutations). For all families of trees examined so
far, the value computed by our algorithm happens to also be an upper
bound on the diameter, i.e.
\diam(\Gamma) \le \beta \le \max_{\pi \in S_n}{c(\pi)-n+\sum_{i=1}^n
\dist_T(i,\pi(i))}.Comment: This is an extension of arXiv:1106.535
Polynomial-time sortable stacks of burnt pancakes
Pancake flipping, a famous open problem in computer science, can be
formalised as the problem of sorting a permutation of positive integers using
as few prefix reversals as possible. In that context, a prefix reversal of
length k reverses the order of the first k elements of the permutation. The
burnt variant of pancake flipping involves permutations of signed integers, and
reversals in that case not only reverse the order of elements but also invert
their signs. Although three decades have now passed since the first works on
these problems, neither their computational complexity nor the maximal number
of prefix reversals needed to sort a permutation is yet known. In this work, we
prove a new lower bound for sorting burnt pancakes, and show that an important
class of permutations, known as "simple permutations", can be optimally sorted
in polynomial time.Comment: Accepted pending minor revisio
Hardness of Token Swapping on Trees
Given a graph where every vertex has exactly one labeled token, how can we most quickly execute a given permutation on the tokens? In (sequential) token swapping, the goal is to use the shortest possible sequence of swaps, each of which exchanges the tokens at the two endpoints of an edge of the graph. In parallel token swapping, the goal is to use the fewest rounds, each of which consists of one or more swaps on the edges of a matching. We prove that both of these problems remain NP-hard when the graph is restricted to be a tree.
These token swapping problems have been studied by disparate groups of researchers in discrete mathematics, theoretical computer science, robot motion planning, game theory, and engineering. Previous work establishes NP-completeness on general graphs (for both problems), constant-factor approximation algorithms, and some poly-time exact algorithms for simple graph classes such as cliques, stars, paths, and cycles. Sequential and parallel token swapping on trees were first studied over thirty years ago (as "sorting with a transposition tree") and over twenty-five years ago (as "routing permutations via matchings"), yet their complexities were previously unknown.
We also show limitations on approximation of sequential token swapping on trees: we identify a broad class of algorithms that encompass all three known polynomial-time algorithms that achieve the best known approximation factor (which is 2) and show that no such algorithm can achieve an approximation factor less than 2
Why 'scaffolding' is the wrong metaphor : the cognitive usefulness of mathematical representations.
The metaphor of scaffolding has become current in discussions of the cognitive help we get from artefacts, environmental affordances and each other. Consideration of mathematical tools and representations indicates that in these cases at least (and plausibly for others), scaffolding is the wrong picture, because scaffolding in good order is immobile, temporary and crude. Mathematical representations can be manipulated, are not temporary structures to aid development, and are refined. Reflection on examples from elementary algebra indicates that Menary is on the right track with his ‘enculturation’ view of mathematical cognition. Moreover, these examples allow us to elaborate his remarks on the uniqueness of mathematical representations and their role in the emergence of new thoughts.Peer reviewe
Optimal strategies in the average consensus problem
We prove that for a set of communicating agents to compute the average of
their initial positions (average consensus problem), the optimal topology of
communication is given by a de Bruijn's graph. Consensus is then reached in a
finitely many steps. A more general family of strategies, constructed by block
Kronecker products, is investigated and compared to Cayley strategies.Comment: 9 pages; extended preprint with proofs of a CDC 2007 (Conference on
decision and Control) pape
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