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A 32 log 3-competitive algorithm for the counterfeit coin problem

  • Session 8A: Algorithms
  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Computing and Combinatorics (COCOON 1995)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 959))

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Abstract

We study the following counterfeit coin problem: Suppose that there is a set of n coins. Each one is either heavy or light. The goal is to sort them according to weight with a minimum number of weighings on a balance scale. Hu and Hwang gave an algorithm with a competitive ratio of 3 log 3 (all logarithms are base-2). Hu, Chen and Hwang also gave an algorithm with a competitive ratio of 2 log 3. In this paper we give an improved algorithm whose competitive ratio is 3/2 log 3.

Supported by Pao Yu-kong and Pao Zhao-long scholarship and NSF grant CCR-9208913.

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References

  1. D.Z.Du and H.Park. On competitive group testing. SIAM J. Computation, 23:5 (1994), 1019–1025.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of Minnesota, 55414, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Dean Kelley, Peng-Jun Wan & Qifan Yang (Visiting scholar)

  2. Department of Mathematics, Zhejiang University, China

    Qifan Yang (Visiting scholar)

  3. Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Gustavus Adolphus College, 56082, St. Peter, MN, USA

    Dean Kelley

Authors
  1. Dean Kelley
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  2. Peng-Jun Wan
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  3. Qifan Yang
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Ding-Zhu Du Ming Li

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© 1995 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Kelley, D., Wan, PJ., Yang, Q. (1995). A 32 log 3-competitive algorithm for the counterfeit coin problem. In: Du, DZ., Li, M. (eds) Computing and Combinatorics. COCOON 1995. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 959. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0030863

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0030863

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-60216-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-44733-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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