NP-Complete operations research problems and approximation algorithms

Abstract

For a large number of discrete optimization problems like the traveling salesman problem, the quadratic assignment problem, the general flow-shop problem, the knapsack problem etc. all known algorithms have the discouraging property that their (worst-case) running times on a computer grow exponentially with the size of the problem. All efforts to find polynomial bounded algorithms for these problems have failed. Recent results in complexity theory show that these problems belong to the classes ofNP-complete orNP-hard problems. It is a common belief that for problems belonging to these classes no polynomial bounded algorithms exist. Heuristics or approximation algorithms should be applied to these problems.The aim of this tutorial paper is to give a survey onNP-complete andNP-hard problems and on approximation algorithms. All concepts introduced are illustrated by examples which are closely related to the knapsack problem and can be understood easily. References to most other problems of interest to operations researchers are given.