Merge Sort
2/8/2005 12:09 AM
Outline and Reading The Greedy Method
The Greedy Method Technique (5.1) Fractional Knapsack Problem (5.1.1) Task Scheduling (5.1.2) Minimum Spanning Trees (7.3) [future lecture]
The Greedy Method
The Greedy Method
The Greedy Method Technique
The greedy method is a general algorithm design paradigm, built on the following elements:
Making Change
Problem: A dollar amount to reach and a collection of coin amounts to use to get there. Configuration: A dollar amount yet to return to a customer plus the coins already returned Objective function: Minimize number of coins returned. Greedy solution: Always return the largest coin you can Example 1: Coins are valued $.32, $.08, $.01
configurations: different choices, collections, or values to find objective function: a score assigned to configurations, which we want to either maximize or minimize
It works best when applied to problems with the greedy-choice property:
Has the greedy-choice property, since no amount over $.32 can be made with a minimum number of coins by omitting a $.32 coin (similarly for amounts over $.08, but under $.32). Does not have greedy-choice property, since $.40 is best made with two $.20s, but the greedy solution will pick three coins (which ones?)
The Greedy Method 4
a globally-optimal solution can always be found by a series of local improvements from a starting configuration.
The Greedy Method 3
Example 2: Coins are valued $.30, $.20, $.05, $.01
The Fractional Knapsack Problem
Given: A set S of n items, with each item i having
Example
Given: A set S of n items, with each item i having
Goal: Choose items with maximum total benefit but with weight at most W. If we are allowed to take fractional amounts, then this is the fractional knapsack problem.
bi - a positive benefit wi - a positive weight
Goal: Choose items with maximum total benefit but with weight at most W. knapsack Solution: Items: Weight: Benefit: Value:
1 2 3 4 5
bi - a positive benefit wi - a positive weight
In this case, we let xi denote the amount we take of item i Objective: maximize
bi ( xi / wi )
iS
The Greedy Method 5
4 ml $12 3
8 ml $32 4
2 ml $40 20
6 ml $30 5
1 ml $50 50 10 ml
Constraint:
xi W
iS
1 2 6 1
ml ml ml ml
of of of of
5 3 4 2
($ per ml)
The Greedy Method
Merge Sort
2/8/2005 12:09 AM
The Fractional Knapsack Algorithm
Greedy choice: Keep taking item with highest value (benefit to weight ratio)
Task Scheduling
Given: a set T of n tasks, each having:
Since bi ( xi / wi ) = (bi / wi ) xi iS iS Run time: O(n log n). Why?
Correctness: Suppose there is a better solution
there is an item i with higher value than a chosen item j (i.e., vi<vj) but xi<wi and xj>0 If we substitute some i with j, we get a better solution How much of i: min{wi-xi, xj} Thus, there is no better solution than the greedy one
Algorithm fractionalKnapsack(S, W) Input: set S of items w/ benefit bi and weight wi; max. weight W Output: amount xi of each item i to maximize benefit with weight at most W for each item i in S xi 0 {value} vi bi / wi w0 {total weight} while w < W remove item i with highest vi xi min{wi , W w} w w + min{wi , W w}
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Goal: Perform all the tasks using a minimum number of machines.
Machine 3 Machine 2 Machine 1
A start time, si A finish time, fi (where si < fi)
The Greedy Method
The Greedy Method
Task Scheduling Algorithm
Greedy choice: consider tasks by their start time and use as few machines as possible with Algorithm taskSchedule(T) this order. Input: set T of tasks w/ start time si Run time: O(n log n). Why? and finish time fi Correctness: Suppose there is a Output: non-conflicting schedule with minimum number of machines better schedule. {no. of machines} m0 We can use k-1 machines while T is not empty The algorithm uses k remove task i w/ smallest si Let i be first task scheduled if theres a machine j for i then on machine k schedule i on machine j Machine i must conflict with else k-1 other tasks mm+1 But that means there is no schedule i on machine m non-conflicting schedule using k-1 machines
The Greedy Method 9
Example
Given: a set T of n tasks, each having:
A start time, si A finish time, fi (where si < fi) [1,4], [1,3], [2,5], [3,7], [4,7], [6,9], [7,8] (ordered by start)
Goal: Perform all tasks on min. number of machines
Machine 3 Machine 2 Machine 1
The Greedy Method
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