All Questions
Tagged with linear-programming linear-programming or
492 questions
35
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Why are optimization problems often called "programs"?
Why are optimization problems often called programs?
linear programming
geometric programming
convex programming
Integer programming
...
- 461
29
votes
6
answers
8k
views
How to find a closest integer point to the intersection of two lines?
Here's a question that originates from StackOverflow.
Given are two lines on a plane, specified by equations ($a x + b y = c$) with integer coefficients. The lines aren't parallel and they don't ...
- 391
27
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Is the matrix $\left({2m\choose 2j-i}\right)_{i,j=1}^{2m-1}$ nonsingular?
Suppose we have a $(2m-1) \times (2m-1)$ matrix defined as follows:
$$\left({2m\choose 2j-i}\right)_{i,j=1}^{2m-1}.$$
For example, if $m=3$, the matrix is
$$\begin{pmatrix}6 & 20 & 6& 0 ...
- 1,121
25
votes
2
answers
2k
views
An Interesting Optimization Problem
You are given n non-negative integers $a_1, a_2 ,, a_n$. In a single operation, you take any two integers out of these integers and replace them with a new integer having value equal to difference ...
- 363
25
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Is the Ford-Fulkerson algorithm a tropical rational function?
The Ford-Fulkerson algorithm
Let me recall the standard scenario of flow optimization (for integer flows at least):
Let $\mathbb{N} = \left\{0,1,2,\ldots\right\}$. Consider a digraph $D$ with vertex ...
- 33.8k
19
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Applications of linear programming duality in combinatorics
So, I know that one can apply the strong LP duality theorem to specific instances of maximum flow problems to recover some nontrivial theorems in combinatorics, such as Hall's theorem, Koenig's ...
- 997
19
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is the tensor product of polyhedra a polyhedron?
Conventions: A polytope in a finite-dimensional $\mathbb R$-vector space $V$ is defined to be a convex hull of finitely many points in $V$. A polyhedron in a finite-dimensional $\mathbb R$-vector ...
- 33.8k
18
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Deciding membership in a convex hull
Given points $u, v_1, \dots,v_n \in \mathbb{R}^m$, decide if $u$ is contained in the convex hull of $v_1, \dots, v_n$.
This can be done efficiently by linear programming (time polynomial in $n,m$) in ...
- 667
17
votes
3
answers
6k
views
The cone of positive semidefinite matrices is self-dual? (reference needed)
I'm seeking a reference for the following fact.
The cone of positive semidefinite matrices is self-dual (a.k.a. self-polar).
This result is relatively easy to prove, has been known for a long time,...
- 1,513
17
votes
3
answers
2k
views
The minimum of a sum of absolute values of inner products in $\mathbb{R}^d$
Consider a collection of unit vectors $v_1, \ldots, v_n$ in $\mathbb{R}^d$ (we think of $n$ being much larger than $d$). I would like to minimize the sum:
$$\sum_{i\neq j}|\langle v_i,v_j\rangle|.$$
...
- 2,288
16
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Can a convex polytope with $f$ facets have more than $f$ facets when projected into $\mathbb{R}^2$?
Let $P$ be a convex polytope in $\mathbb{R}^d$ with $n$ vertices and $f$ facets.
Let $\text{Proj}(P)$ denote the projection of $P$ into $\mathbb{R}^2$.
Can $\text{Proj}(P)$ have more than $f$ facets?
...
- 163
14
votes
0
answers
4k
views
Minimum tiling of a rectangle by squares
Given the $n\times m$ rectangle, I want to compute the minimum number of integer-sided squares needed to tile it (possibly of different sizes).
Is there an efficient way to calculate this?
- 1,015
13
votes
2
answers
664
views
Complexity of a weirdo two-dimensional sorting problem
Please forgive me if this is easy for some reason.
Suppose given $S$, a set of $n^2$ points in $\mathbb{R}^2$.
I want to choose a bijective map $f$ from $S$ to the set of lattice points in $\lbrace ...
- 19.2k
13
votes
3
answers
834
views
Famous theorems that are special cases of linear programming (or convex) duality
The max flow-min cut theorem is one of the most famous theorems of discrete optimization, although it is very straightforward to prove using duality theory from linear programming. Are there any ...
12
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Closest 3D rotation matrix in the Frobenius norm sense
Given a 3 by 3 matrix $M$ I would like to find the rotation matrix $R$ minimizing the Frobenius norm:
\begin{equation}
\|R-M\|_F
\end{equation}
Is there a closed form solution for $R$, or is it ...
- 561
11
votes
2
answers
963
views
Why is modular forms applicable to packing density bounds from linear programming at $n\in\{8,24\}$?
Sphere packing problem in $\mathbb R^n$ asks for the densest arrangement of non-overlapping spheres within $\mathbb R^n$. It is now know that the problem is solved at $n=8$ and $n=24$ using modular ...
- 1,826
11
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Random Sampling a linearly constrained region in n-dimensions...
Hi,
So here is my problem:
Given a nonlinear, discontinous, cost function $f(x_1,x_2,..,x_N)$ along with linear constraints $x_n \ge 0, \forall n$
$x_n \le c_n$
and $\sum_{n=1}^N x_n = 1$ find an ...
- 113
10
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How do you tell if a system of linear inequalities has a solution?
A naive solution would be to optimize a dummy variable via linear programming and see if a result is returned. I imagine there must be a more direct way.
- 693
10
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Solving a system of linear inequalities -- what is the dimension of the solution set?
It is well known how to solve a system of linear equations $A{\bf x} = {\bf b}$, but how do we solve a system of linear inequalities $A{\bf x} \leq {\bf b}$?
For the applications I have in mind the ...
- 7,857
10
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Sum of difference moduli vs. sum of modulus differences
This is a failed attempt of mine at creating a contest problem; the failure is in the fact that I wasn't able to solve it myself.
Let $x_1$, $x_2$, ..., $x_n$ be $n$ reals. For any integer $k$, ...
- 33.8k
10
votes
1
answer
411
views
Network flows with capacities on pairs of edges
Take a standard network flow problem: a directed graph with nonnegative capacities on each edge, a source $s$, a sink $t$. We all know how to find the maximum flow from $s$ to $t$.
Now add edge-pair ...
- 37.7k
10
votes
0
answers
722
views
Fractional Matching version of Hall's Marriage theorem
Let $G=(S,T,E)$ be a bipartite graph, $|S|=|T|$. Then the following are equivalent:
1) there exist a perfect matching in $G$;
2) there exist non-negative weights on edges such that the sum of ...
- 109k
9
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Proving that a binary matrix is totally unimodular
I'm working on a set of problems for which I can formulate binary integer programs. When I solve the linear relaxations of these problems, I always get integer solutions. I would like to prove that ...
- 213
9
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Inverse of a totally unimodular matrix
A unimodular matrix $M$ is a square integer matrix having determinant $+1$ or $−1$.
A totally unimodular matrix (TU matrix) is a matrix for which every square non-singular submatrix is unimodular. A ...
- 93
9
votes
2
answers
843
views
How did they come up with the MRRW bound?
Among the good asymptotic bounds in coding theory in the MRRW bound. It is obtained by using the linear programming problem of Delsarte's and providing a solution. The LP problem is
Suppose $C \...
- 885
9
votes
1
answer
295
views
Definition of packing property
Definition 1:
A clutter $C$ is said to have the packing property if $C$ and all of its minors satisfy the König property.
where,
vertex cover of $C$ is a set of vertices that have non-empty ...
- 381
9
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Uniform sampling from general simplex with a twist
This is part of a question I had asked elsewhere, and then some of the links redirected me to CS stack exchange.
Given $0\leq a_1\leq\dots\leq a_D\leq1$ (all strictly positive), I want to draw points ...
- 221
8
votes
2
answers
246
views
Are sums of 0-1 Pareto efficient vectors Pareto efficient?
Does there exist $m,n\ge1$, an $m \times n$ matrix $A$, and a vector $x \in \mathbb{R}^n$ such that:
The entries of $A$ are $\in \{0, 1\}$.
For all pairs of columns $u, v$ of $A$ the entries of $u - ...
- 388
8
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Minesweeper as a linear algebra problem
I've written a computer program to generate and solve minesweeper games. Once I've eliminated the obvious mines and safe squares I look at each remaining connected setsin turn and formulate a linear ...
- 361
8
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Infinite Linear Programming
I'm trying to prove optimality for a continuous linear program. That is, I have a linear program with an uncountable number of variables and constraints. I'm not sure how to demonstrate feasibility ...
- 133
7
votes
2
answers
909
views
Formula for volume of a convex polytope
So I've been searching around the internet for some answers to this, but I currently have a set of linear constraints: $Ax = b, Cx \le d$ for matrices $A \in \mathbb{R}^{n \times m}$, $b\in \mathbb{R}^...
- 81
7
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Is a given point in the interior of the convex hull of a given finite collection of points?
Suppose I have the convex hull $P$ of a finite collection of points in $\mathbb{R}^d,$ and I want to see whether a point $p$ is contained in $P.$ This is a standard (some would say the standard linear ...
- 96.4k
7
votes
1
answer
360
views
Does the Hirsch conjecture hold for $n < 2d$?
The Hirsch conjecture asserts that the graph (i.e. $1$-skeleton) of a $d$-dimensional convex polytope with $n$ facets has diameter at most $n - d$.
After being open for decades, Francisco Santos has ...
- 7,857
7
votes
2
answers
242
views
Prove that $ n \leq d+1 $ under ordering constraints in $\mathbb{R}^d$
Let $x_1, \dotsc, x_n \in \mathbb{R}^d$ and $\theta_1, \dotsc, \theta_n \in \mathbb{R}^d$ be vectors such that for every $k \in [n]$, the following inequality holds:
$$
\langle x_k, \theta_k \rangle &...
7
votes
1
answer
819
views
Has this generalization of a determinant (assigning multiplicities to the rows) been studied?
I'm working on some questions in tropical geometry, and my problem led me to create the following generalization of a determinant:
Let $A$ be an $m \times n$ matrix with $m \le n$, and positive ...
- 1,509
7
votes
1
answer
374
views
Sampling uniformly from the vertices of a polytope
I'm looking for a reference on how to sample uniformly (and preferably efficiently, elegantly, etc.) from the vertices of a polytope. I gather that enumerating vertices is hard. I also note the MO ...
- 15.4k
7
votes
1
answer
224
views
A polytope with a bound on the sum of any $k$ variables
Let $2\le k\le n-1$ and define the polytope
$$P_k(n) = \lbrace (x_1,\ldots,x_n) \in \mathbb{R}^n :
-1\le x_{i_1}+\cdots +x_{i_k} \le 1 \text{ for all } 1\le i_1\lt\cdots\lt i_k\le n\rbrace.$$
There ...
- 37.7k
7
votes
1
answer
386
views
Which zero-diagonal matrices contain the all-one vector in their columns' conic hull?
Let $A$ be a non-negative zero-diagonal invertible matrix. Which $A$ make the following assertions true, which are all equivalent:
The all-one vector $j$ is contained in the conic hull of $col(A)$.
...
- 81
7
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Closed-form solution of a linear programming question
Among all the probability matrices
\begin{equation*}
P =
\left(\begin{array}{cccc}
p_{00} & p_{01} & \ldots & p_{0,J-1} \\
p_{10} & p_{11} & \ldots & p_{1,J-1} \\
\vdots & \...
6
votes
6
answers
3k
views
Circumference of Convex Shapes
Here is a puzzle I found in Mitteilungen der DMV (roughly, "Letters of the German Society of Mathematicians"), issue 19/2011. It was posed by Alfred Schreiber in "Wie man Hasen fangt" (How to catch ...
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Linear programming is continuous
Consider an arbitrary linear program:
$$\max \vec c \cdot \vec x$$
subject to:
$$\textbf{A}\cdot \vec x = 0, \quad \vec a \le \vec x \le \vec b$$
Assume that this program is feasible and bounded. ...
- 884
6
votes
1
answer
761
views
Checking if one polytope is contained in another
I have two sets of inequalities, say, $Ax \leq 0$ and $Bx \leq 0$. I would like to know if they both define the same polytope. Or, even, whether one is contained in the other.
At the moment I am ...
- 491
6
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Existence/Uniqueness of Nonnegative Solutions of Linear Systems of Equations
Suppose we have an $m$x$n$ matrix $A$, with $m\lt n$, and an $m$x$1$ vector $b$. Are there existence and uniqueness conditions characterizing nonnegative solutions of the system of linear equations $...
6
votes
3
answers
2k
views
A simple infinite dimensional optimization problem
I'd be grateful for a reference for the following result, which I believe to be true, and
should be well-known.
Let the continuous functions $f_0,f_1,\cdots,f_n: [0,1]\rightarrow [0,\infty)$ be ...
- 520
6
votes
1
answer
609
views
Attempt at applying linear programming to the partial sums of the Möbius inverse of the Harmonic numbers
Let $a(n)$ be the Dirichlet inverse of the Euler totient function:
$$a(n) = \sum\limits_{d|n} d \cdot \mu(d) \tag{1}$$
and let the matrix $T(n,k)$ be:
$$T(n,k)=a(\gcd(n,k)) \tag{2}$$
It has been ...
- 1,183
6
votes
1
answer
861
views
Is Binary Integer Linear Programming solvable in polynomial time?
The paper Solving the Binary Linear Programming Model in Polynomial Time claims that Binary Integer Linear Programming is in P. However, it seems that no subsequent literature in the mainstream has ...
- 221
6
votes
3
answers
11k
views
Maximum flow with negative capacities?
I'm trying to compute an (s-t) maximum flow through a network which includes a number of arc pairs ((u,v), (v,u)) that have equal, negative capacities (weights). I'm not aware of any efficient ...
- 83
6
votes
1
answer
779
views
If $\ell_0$ regularization can be done via the proximal operator, why are people still using LASSO?
I have just learned that a general framework in constrained optimization is called "proximal gradient optimization". It is interesting that the $\ell_0$ "norm" is also associated with a proximal ...
6
votes
1
answer
263
views
Algorithm that solves every Mixed Integer Linear Program (to optimality)?
Given a Mixed Integer Linear Program with rational coefficients (both for the objective functions and all constraints), is it always possible to solve it algorithmically?
I know that you usually ...
- 1,282
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Speed up Linear programming
I have a linear programming problem like this:
minimize $c^t X$
under the constraint that $AX \ge b$.
I will need to solve this linear programming problem online many times. I need it to be as fast ...
- 83