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Workshop on Algorithms and Data Structures

WADS 1995: Algorithms and Data Structures pp 159–170Cite as

Randomized algorithms for metrical task systems

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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 955))

Abstract

Borodin, Linial, and Saks introduce a general model for online systems in [BLS92] called task systems and show a deterministic algorithm which achieves a competitive ratio of 2n−1 for any metrical task system with n states. We present a randomized algorithm which achieves a competitive ratio of e/(e−1)n−1/(e−1)≈1.5820n−0.5820 for any metrical task system of n states. For the uniform metric space, Borodin, Linial, and Saks present an algorithm which achieves a competitive ratio of 2H n, and they show a lower bound of H n for any randomized algorithm. We improve their upper bound for the uniform metric space by showing a randomized algorithm which is (H n/ln2+1≈1.4427H n +1)-competitive.

Research supported in part by NSF grant number CCR-9309456.

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Information and Computer Science, University of California, 92717, Irvine, CA

    Sandy Irani & Steve Seiden

Authors
  1. Sandy Irani
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  2. Steve Seiden
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Editor information

Selim G. Akl Frank Dehne Jörg-Rüdiger Sack Nicola Santoro

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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Irani, S., Seiden, S. (1995). Randomized algorithms for metrical task systems. In: Akl, S.G., Dehne, F., Sack, JR., Santoro, N. (eds) Algorithms and Data Structures. WADS 1995. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 955. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-60220-8_59

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-60220-8_59

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-60220-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-44747-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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