English

A 12/7-approximation algorithm for the discrete Bamboo Garden Trimming problem

Data Structures and Algorithms 2020-04-27 v1

Abstract

We study the discrete Bamboo Garden Trimming problem (BGT), where we are given n bamboos with different growth rates. At the end of each day, one can cut down one bamboo to height zero. The goal in BGT is to make a perpetual schedule of cuts such that the height of the tallest bamboo ever is minimized. Here, we improve the current best approximation guarantee by designing a 12/7-approximation algorithm. This result is based on a reduction to the Pinwheel Scheduling problem. We show that a guarantee of 12/7 is essentially the best we can hope for if our algorithm is based on this type of reduction.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2004.11731,
  title  = {A 12/7-approximation algorithm for the discrete Bamboo Garden Trimming problem},
  author = {Martijn van Ee},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2004.11731},
  year   = {2020}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-23T15:04:36.817Z