22 research outputs found
Unique Sink Orientations of Grids
We introduce unique sink orientations of grids as digraph models for many well-studied problems, including linear programming over products of simplices, generalized linear complementarity problems over P-matrices (PGLCP), and simple stochastic games. We investigate the combinatorial structure of such orientations and develop randomized algorithms for finding the sink. We show that the orientations arising from PGLCP satisfy the Holt-Klee condition known to hold for polytope digraphs, and we give the first expected linear-time algorithms for solving PGLCP with a fixed number of block
Violator Spaces: Structure and Algorithms
Sharir and Welzl introduced an abstract framework for optimization problems,
called LP-type problems or also generalized linear programming problems, which
proved useful in algorithm design. We define a new, and as we believe, simpler
and more natural framework: violator spaces, which constitute a proper
generalization of LP-type problems. We show that Clarkson's randomized
algorithms for low-dimensional linear programming work in the context of
violator spaces. For example, in this way we obtain the fastest known algorithm
for the P-matrix generalized linear complementarity problem with a constant
number of blocks. We also give two new characterizations of LP-type problems:
they are equivalent to acyclic violator spaces, as well as to concrete LP-type
problems (informally, the constraints in a concrete LP-type problem are subsets
of a linearly ordered ground set, and the value of a set of constraints is the
minimum of its intersection).Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures, extended abstract was presented at ESA 2006;
author spelling fixe
Counting Unique-Sink Orientations
Unique-sink orientations (USOs) are an abstract class of orientations of the
n-cube graph. We consider some classes of USOs that are of interest in
connection with the linear complementarity problem. We summarise old and show
new lower and upper bounds on the sizes of some such classes. Furthermore, we
provide a characterisation of K-matrices in terms of their corresponding USOs.Comment: 13 pages; v2: proof of main theorem expanded, plus various other
corrections. Now 16 pages; v3: minor correction
Enumeration of PLCP-orientations of the 4-cube
The linear complementarity problem (LCP) provides a unified approach to many
problems such as linear programs, convex quadratic programs, and bimatrix
games. The general LCP is known to be NP-hard, but there are some promising
results that suggest the possibility that the LCP with a P-matrix (PLCP) may be
polynomial-time solvable. However, no polynomial-time algorithm for the PLCP
has been found yet and the computational complexity of the PLCP remains open.
Simple principal pivoting (SPP) algorithms, also known as Bard-type algorithms,
are candidates for polynomial-time algorithms for the PLCP. In 1978, Stickney
and Watson interpreted SPP algorithms as a family of algorithms that seek the
sink of unique-sink orientations of -cubes. They performed the enumeration
of the arising orientations of the -cube, hereafter called
PLCP-orientations. In this paper, we present the enumeration of
PLCP-orientations of the -cube.The enumeration is done via construction of
oriented matroids generalizing P-matrices and realizability classification of
oriented matroids.Some insights obtained in the computational experiments are
presented as well
The Niceness of Unique Sink Orientations
Random Edge is the most natural randomized pivot rule for the simplex
algorithm. Considerable progress has been made recently towards fully
understanding its behavior. Back in 2001, Welzl introduced the concepts of
\emph{reachmaps} and \emph{niceness} of Unique Sink Orientations (USO), in an
effort to better understand the behavior of Random Edge. In this paper, we
initiate the systematic study of these concepts. We settle the questions that
were asked by Welzl about the niceness of (acyclic) USO. Niceness implies
natural upper bounds for Random Edge and we provide evidence that these are
tight or almost tight in many interesting cases. Moreover, we show that Random
Edge is polynomial on at least many (possibly cyclic) USO. As
a bonus, we describe a derandomization of Random Edge which achieves the same
asymptotic upper bounds with respect to niceness and discuss some algorithmic
properties of the reachmap.Comment: An extended abstract appears in the proceedings of Approx/Random 201