Positive vectors, pairwise comparison matrices and directed Hamiltonian cycles

Abstract

In the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) the efficient vectors for a pairwise comparison matrix (PC matrix) are based on the principle of Pareto optimal decisions. To infer the efficiency of a vector for a PC matrix we construct a directed Hamiltonian cycle of a certain digraph associated with the PC matrix and the vector. We describe advantages of using this process over using the strong connectivity of the digraph. As an application of our process we find efficient vectors for a PC matrix, A, obtained from a consistent one by perturbing three entries above the main diagonal and the corresponding reciprocal entries, in a way that there is a square submatrix of A of order 2 containing three of the perturbed entries and not containing a diagonal entry of A. For completeness, we include examples showing conditions under which, when deleting a certain entry of an efficient vector for the square matrix A of order n, we have a non-efficient vector for the corresponding square principal submatrix of order n-1 of A.