Skip to main content
Log in

Fast searching games on graphs

  • Published:
Journal of Combinatorial Optimization Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Given a graph, suppose that intruders hide on vertices or along edges of the graph. The fast searching problem is to find the minimum number of searchers required to capture all the intruders satisfying the constraint that every edge is traversed exactly once and searchers are not allowed to jump. In this paper, we prove lower bounds on the fast search number. We present a linear time algorithm to compute the fast search number of Halin graphs and their extensions. We present a quadratic time algorithm to compute the fast search number of cubic graphs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alon N, Pralat P, Wormald R (2008) Cleaning regular graphs with brushes. SIAM J Discrete Math 23:233–250

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Alspach B (2005) Searching and sweeping graphs: A brief survey. In: Le matematiche, 34 pp

  • Bienstock D (1991) Graph searching, path-width, tree-width and related problems (a survey). DIMACS Ser Discrete Math Theor Comput Sci 5:33–49

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Bienstock D, Seymour P (1991) Monotonicity in graph searching. J Algorithms 12:239–245

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Borie D, Parker R, Tovey C (1991) Algorithms for recognition of regular properties and decomposition of recursive graph families. Ann Oper Res 33:127–149

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Dawes R (1992) Some pursuit-evasion problems on grids. Inf Process Lett 43:241–247

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Dendris N, Kirousis L, Thilikos D (1997) Fugitive-search games on graphs and related parameters. Theor Comput Sci 172:233–254

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Dyer D, Yang B, Yaşar O (2008) On the fast searching problem. In: Proceedings of the 4th international conference on algorithmic aspects in information and management (AAIM’08). Lecture notes in computer science, vol 5034. Springer, Berlin, pp 143–154

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis J, Warren R (2008) Lower bounds on the pathwidth of some grid-like graphs. Discrete Appl Math 156:545–555

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Fellows M, Langston M (1989) On search, decision and the efficiency of polynomial time algorithm. In: Proceedings of the 21st ACM symposium on theory of computing (STOC 89), pp 501–512

  • Fomin F, Thilikos D (2006) A 3-approximation for the pathwidth of Halin graphs. J Discrete Algorithms 4:499–510

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Fomin F, Thilikos D (2008) An annotated bibliography on guaranteed graph searching. Theor Comput Sci 399:236–245

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Frankling M, Galil Z, Yung M (2000) Eavesdropping games: A graph-theoretic approach to privacy in distributed systems. J ACM 47:225–243

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Kirousis L, Papadimitriou C (1996) Searching and pebbling. Theor Comput Sci 47:205–218

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • LaPaugh A (1993) Recontamination does not help to search a graph. J ACM 40:224–245

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Makedon F, Papadimitriou C, Sudborough I (1985) Topological bandwidth. SIAM J Algebr Discrete Methods 6:418–444

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Megiddo N, Hakimi S, Garey M, Johnson D, Papadimitriou C (1988) The complexity of searching a graph. J ACM 35:18–44

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Messinger ME, Nowakowski RJ, Pralat P (2008) Cleaning a network with brushes. Theor Comput Sci 399:191–205

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Sugihara K, Suzuki I (1989) Optimal algorithms for a pursuit-evasion problem in grids. SIAM J Discrete Math 2:126–143

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • West DB (1996) Introduction to graph theory. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs

    MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Boting Yang.

Additional information

Research of D. Stanley was supported in part by NSERC.

Research of B. Yang was supported in part by NSERC.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Stanley, D., Yang, B. Fast searching games on graphs. J Comb Optim 22, 763–777 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10878-010-9328-4

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10878-010-9328-4

Keywords

Navigation