Related papers: Pancake Flipping is Hard

Lowering the barriers to computer programming requires understanding how to scaffold learning. Parsons problems, which require learners to drag-and-drop blocks of code into the correct order and indentation, are proving to be beneficial for…

We introduce and study a novel generalization of the classical Knapsack Problem (KP), called the Colored Knapsack Problem (CKP). In this problem, the items are partitioned into classes of colors and the packed items need to be ordered such…

The problem that we consider is the following: given an $n \times n$ array $A$ of positive numbers, find a tiling using at most $p$ rectangles (which means that each array element must be covered by some rectangle and no two rectangles must…

Matrix inversion problems are often encountered in experimental physics, and in particular in high-energy particle physics, under the name of unfolding. The true spectrum of a physical quantity is deformed by the presence of a detector,…

The Graph Burning Problem (GBP) is a combinatorial optimization problem that has gained relevance as a tool for quantifying a graph's vulnerability to contagion. Although it is based on a very simple propagation model, its decision version…

This paper discusses the complexity of graph pebbling, dealing with both traditional pebbling and the recently introduced game of cover pebbling. Determining whether a configuration is solvable according to either the traditional definition…

The Burning Number Problem (BNP) models the spread of information or contagion in a network through a discrete-time process on a graph. At each step, one new vertex is selected as a burning source, while fire simultaneously spreads from…

In this article, we give a polynomial algorithm to decide whether a given permutation $\sigma$ is sortable with two stacks in series. This is indeed a longstanding open problem which was first introduced by Knuth. He introduced the stack…

We study the Colored Bin Packing Problem: we are given a set of items where each item has a weight and color. We must pack the items in bins of uniform capacity such that no two items of the same color may be adjacent within in a bin. The…

Clustering a graph when the clusters can overlap can be seen from three different angles: We may look for cliques that cover the edges of the graph with bounded overlap, we may look to add or delete few edges to uncover the cluster…

We address in this paper the problem of modifying both profits and costs of a fractional knapsack problem optimally such that a prespecified solution becomes an optimal solution with prespect to new parameters. This problem is called the…

At the end of the 1960s, Knuth characterised the permutations that can be sorted using a stack in terms of forbidden patterns. He also showed that they are in bijection with Dyck paths and thus counted by the Catalan numbers. Subsequently,…

When agents are acting together, they may need a simple mechanism to decide on joint actions. One possibility is to have the agents express their preferences in the form of a ballot and use a voting rule to decide the winning action(s).…

We study the disproportionate version of the classical cake-cutting problem: how efficiently can we divide a cake, here $[0,1]$, among $n$ agents with different demands $\alpha_1, \alpha_2, \dots, \alpha_n$ summing to $1$? When all the…

We study the reconfiguration of odd matchings of combinatorial graphs. Odd matchings are matchings that cover all but one vertex of a graph. A reconfiguration step, or flip, is an operation that matches the isolated vertex and,…

We study the problem of reconfiguring odd matchings, that is, matchings that cover all but a single vertex. Our reconfiguration operation is a so-called flip where the unmatched vertex of the first matching gets matched, while consequently…

We address the classical knapsack problem and a variant in which an upper bound is imposed on the number of items that can be selected. We show that appropriate combinations of rounding techniques yield novel and powerful ways of rounding.…

The Bin Packing Problem involves efficiently packing items into a limited number of bins without exceeding their capacity. In this paper, we try to answer a specific question in this field. Mathematically the combinatorial optimization…

We study a natural geometric variant of the classic Knapsack problem called 2D-Knapsack: we are given a set of axis-parallel rectangles and a rectangular bounding box, and the goal is to pack as many of these rectangles inside the box…

The famous pancake theorem states that for every finite set $X$ in the plane, there exist two orthogonal lines that divide $X$ into four equal parts. We propose an algorithm whose running time is linear in the number of points in $X$ and…