CS 598 CSC : Approximation Algorithms Lecture date : January

Cs 598: Approximation Algorithms 1 Sparsest Cut Problem and Lp Formulation

CSC 5160 : Combinatorial Optimization and Approximation Algorithms

In this lecture, we will talk about the technique of using Linear Programming (LP) to solve combinatorial optimization problems. The lecture is divided into two parts. In the first part, we discuss the theoretical aspects of LP and illustrate by exmaples how combinatoric problems can be reforumated as LP problems. In the second part, we introduce two popular algorithms in solving LP problems: t...

CSC 5160 : Combinatorial Optimization and Approximation Algorithms

In this lecture, the focus is on primal dual method and its application in designing exact algorithms and approximation algorithms for combinatorial optimization problems. It is a general framework which can solve many problems rather systematically. We first introduce the principles of primal dual program, and then show one example, weighted bipartite matching for designing exact algorithm and...

CS 598 CSC : Approximation

In the last lecture a primal-dual analysis was used to show a 2-approximation for theVertex Cover problem. Here we extend these ideas to show a 2-approximation for the Steiner Forest problem using a primal-dual analysis. In the Steiner Forest problem there is a graph G = (V,E) where each edge e ∈ E has a cost ce ∈ R. We are given k pairs of terminals s1, t1, s2, t2, . . . sk, tk ∈ V . The goal ...

Cs 598csc: Approximation Algorithms

We discuss two closely related NP Optimization problems, namely Set Cover and Maximum Coverage in this lecture. Set Cover was among the first problems for which approximation algorithms were analyzed [1]. This problem is also significant from a practical point of view, since the problem itself and several of its generalizations arise quite frequently in a number of application areas. We will co...