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Greedy Algorithms

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10 views8 pages

Greedy Algorithms

Uploaded by

spandanasingetham
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Introduction to Algorithms

Greedy Algorithms
 Similar to dynamic programming, but simpler approach
 Also used for optimization problems
 Idea: When we have a choice to make, make the one
that looks best right now
 Make a locally optimal choice in hope of getting a globally optimal
solution
 Makes the choice that looks best at the moment in order
to get optimal solution.
Applications of Greedy
Algorithm
It is used in finding the shortest path.
 It is used to find the minimum spanning tree using the
prim's algorithm or the Kruskal's algorithm.
 It is used in a job sequencing with a deadline.
 This algorithm is also used to solve the fractional

knapsack problem.

3
Fractional Knapsack Problem
 Knapsack capacity: W
 There are n items: the i-th item has value vi and weight

wi
 Goal:
 find xi such that for all 0  xi  1, i = 1, 2, .., n

 wixi  W and

 xivi is maximum
Fractional Knapsack -
ExampleM=240

 E.g.: 20
---
$80
Item 3 30 +

Item 2 50 50
20 $100
Item 1 30
20 +
10 10 $60

$60 $100 $120 $240

$6/pound $5/pound $4/pound


Fractional Knapsack Problem
 Greedy strategy 1:
 Pick the item with the maximum value
 E.g.:
 W=1
 w1 = 100, v1 = 2
 w2 = 1, v2 = 1
 Taking from the item with the maximum value:
Total value taken = v1/w1 = 2/100
 Smaller than what the thief can take if choosing the
other item
Total value (choose item 2) = v2/w2 = 1
Fractional Knapsack Problem
Alg.: Fractional-Knapsack (W, v[n], w[n])

1. While w > 0 and as long as there are items remaining

2. pick item with maximum vi/wi

3. xi  min (1, w/wi)

4. remove item i from list

5. w  w – xiwi

 w – the amount of space remaining in the knapsack (w = W)


 Running time: (n) if items already ordered; else (nlgn)
Dynamic Programming vs. Greedy
Algorithms
 Dynamic programming

 We make a choice at each step


 The choice depends on solutions to subproblems
 Bottom up solution, from smaller to larger subproblems
 Greedy algorithm
 Make the greedy choice and THEN
 Solve the subproblem arising after the choice is made
 The choice we make may depend on previous choices,
but not on solutions to subproblems
 Top down solution, problems decrease in size

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