DROPS

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.CP.2025.18

Greed Is Slow on Sparse Graphs of Oriented Valued Constraints

Authors: Artem Kaznatcheev and Sofia Vazquez Alferez

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 340, 31st International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2025)

Abstract

Greedy local search is especially popular for solving valued constraint satisfaction problems (VCSPs). Since any method will be slow for some VCSPs, we ask: what is the simplest VCSP on which greedy local search is slow? We construct a VCSP on 6n Boolean variables for which greedy local search takes 7(2ⁿ - 1) steps to find the unique peak. Our VCSP is simple in two ways. First, it is very sparse: its constraint graph has pathwidth 2 and maximum degree 3. This is the simplest VCSP on which some local search could be slow. Second, it is "oriented" – there is an ordering on the variables such that later variables are conditionally-independent of earlier ones. Being oriented allows many non-greedy local search methods to find the unique peak in a quadratic number of steps. Thus, we conclude that - among local search methods - greed is particularly slow.

Cite as

Artem Kaznatcheev and Sofia Vazquez Alferez. Greed Is Slow on Sparse Graphs of Oriented Valued Constraints. In 31st International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2025). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 340, pp. 18:1-18:13, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{kaznatcheev_et_al:LIPIcs.CP.2025.18,
  author =	{Kaznatcheev, Artem and Vazquez Alferez, Sofia},
  title =	{{Greed Is Slow on Sparse Graphs of Oriented Valued Constraints}},
  booktitle =	{31st International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2025)},
  pages =	{18:1--18:13},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-380-5},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{340},
  editor =	{de la Banda, Maria Garcia},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.CP.2025.18},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-238793},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.CP.2025.18},
  annote =	{Keywords: valued constraint satisfaction problem, local search, algorithm analysis, constraint graphs}
}

Document

DOI: 10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2024.6

Destroying Densest Subgraphs Is Hard

Authors: Cristina Bazgan, André Nichterlein, and Sofia Vazquez Alferez

Published in: LIPIcs, Volume 294, 19th Scandinavian Symposium and Workshops on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2024)

Abstract

We analyze the computational complexity of the following computational problems called Bounded-Density Edge Deletion and Bounded-Density Vertex Deletion: Given a graph G, a budget k and a target density τ_ρ, are there k edges (k vertices) whose removal from G results in a graph where the densest subgraph has density at most τ_ρ? Here, the density of a graph is the number of its edges divided by the number of its vertices. We prove that both problems are polynomial-time solvable on trees and cliques but are NP-complete on planar bipartite graphs and split graphs. From a parameterized point of view, we show that both problems are fixed-parameter tractable with respect to the vertex cover number but W[1]-hard with respect to the solution size. Furthermore, we prove that Bounded-Density Edge Deletion is W[1]-hard with respect to the feedback edge number, demonstrating that the problem remains hard on very sparse graphs.

Cite as

Cristina Bazgan, André Nichterlein, and Sofia Vazquez Alferez. Destroying Densest Subgraphs Is Hard. In 19th Scandinavian Symposium and Workshops on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2024). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 294, pp. 6:1-6:17, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2024)

Copy BibTex To Clipboard

@InProceedings{bazgan_et_al:LIPIcs.SWAT.2024.6,
  author =	{Bazgan, Cristina and Nichterlein, Andr\'{e} and Vazquez Alferez, Sofia},
  title =	{{Destroying Densest Subgraphs Is Hard}},
  booktitle =	{19th Scandinavian Symposium and Workshops on Algorithm Theory (SWAT 2024)},
  pages =	{6:1--6:17},
  series =	{Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-318-8},
  ISSN =	{1868-8969},
  year =	{2024},
  volume =	{294},
  editor =	{Bodlaender, Hans L.},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2024.6},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-200461},
  doi =		{10.4230/LIPIcs.SWAT.2024.6},
  annote =	{Keywords: Graph modification problems, NP-hardness, fixed-parameter tractability, W-hardness, special graph classes}
}

Search Results

Documents authored by Vazquez Alferez, Sofia

Greed Is Slow on Sparse Graphs of Oriented Valued Constraints

Abstract

Cite as

Destroying Densest Subgraphs Is Hard

Abstract

Cite as

Thanks for your feedback!

Could not send message