In the imprecise geometry model, the input is a family of regions F = (R₁, R₂, …,R_n), each containing a point p_i ∈ R_i. The task is then to compute some function of the points p₁,p₂,… p_n, in our case an implicit representation of their Pareto front. To this end, one may query a region R_i to retrieve its contained point p_i ∈ R_i. In this model, efficiency is interpreted in two ways: minimizing (i) the number of retrievals, and (ii) the computation time both for preprocessing, and the execution of the query stage, i.e. for computing which points to query and constructing the output. We present an algorithm to construct (an implicit representation of) the Pareto front for possibly overlapping rectangles, that is instance-optimal with respect to the number of retrievals. This means that for every fixed input (F, P), there is no algorithm that retrieves asymptotically fewer regions to compute the output. This is a strong algorithmic quality, as it means that our algorithm is competitive even to clairvoyant algorithms which only have to verify the correctness of a correct guess. In terms of algorithmic running time, instance-optimality is provably unobtainable. We instead present an algorithm which is within a log n-factor of instance optimality. This generalizes earlier results which assumed the regions to not overlap, at only a minor cost in running time. For unit squares, we present an algorithm that is not only instance optimal in the number of retrievals, but also universally optimal in terms of running time. This means that for any fixed set of regions F, no algorithm has a better worst-case running time for all possible point sets P. Thus, this work presents the first universally optimal algorithm for overlapping planar input. Compared to previous work, our result improves the degree to which the input regions may overlap, the preprocessing time, the number of retrievals, and the running time.

A heap is a dynamic data structure that stores a set of labeled values under the following operations: pop returns the minimum value of the heap, Push(x_i) pushes a new value x_i onto the heap, and DecreaseKey(i, v) decreases the value x_i to v. A working-set heap is a heap that supports the x_i ← pop() operation in O(log Γ(x_i)) time where Γ(x_i) is the size of the working set: the number of elements that were pushed onto the heap while x_i was in the heap. The goal of working set heap design is to maintain the working set property while minimizing the overhead of the Push and DecreaseKey operations. On a word RAM, there exist working set heaps that support Push and DecreaseKey in amortized constant time. In this paper, we show via a simple construction that pointer machines, one of the most general and least-assuming computational models, support working set heaps that support Push in amortized constant time and DecreaseKey in inverse-Ackermann time. A by-product of this analysis is that Dijkstra’s shortest path algorithm can be near-universally optimal on a pointer machine - incurring only an additive O(m α(m)) overhead compared to the optimal running time for distance ordering, where m denotes the number of edges in the graph.

Imprecise measurements of a point set P = (p₁, …, p_n) can be modelled by a family of regions F = (R₁, …, R_n), where each imprecise region R_i ∈ F contains a unique point p_i ∈ P. A retrieval models an accurate measurement by replacing an imprecise region R_i with its corresponding point p_i. We construct the convex hull of an imprecise point set in the plane, by determining the cyclic ordering of the convex hull vertices of P as efficiently as possible. Efficiency is interpreted in two ways: (i) minimising the number of retrievals, and (ii) the computation time to determine the set of regions that must be retrieved. Previous works focused on only one of these two aspects: either minimising retrievals or optimising algorithmic runtime. Our contribution is the first to simultaneously achieve both. Let r(F, P) denote the minimal number of retrievals required by any algorithm to determine the convex hull of P for a given instance (F, P). For a family F of n constant-complexity polygons, our main result is a reconstruction algorithm that performs Θ(r(F, P)) retrievals in O(r(F, P) log³ n) time. Compared to previous approaches that achieve optimal retrieval counts, we improve the runtime per retrieval from polynomial to polylogarithmic. We extend the generality of previous results to simple k-gons, to pairwise disjoint disks with radii in [1,k], and to unit disks where at most k disks overlap in a single point. Our runtime scales linearly with k.

Let G be a weighted (directed) graph with n vertices and m edges. Given a source vertex s, Dijkstra’s algorithm computes the shortest path lengths from s to all other vertices in O(m + n log n) time. This bound is known to be worst-case optimal via a reduction to sorting. Theoretical computer science has developed numerous fine-grained frameworks for analyzing algorithmic performance beyond standard worst-case analysis, such as instance optimality and output sensitivity. Haeupler, Hladík, Rozhoň, Tarjan, and Tětek [FOCS’24] consider the notion of universal optimality, a refined complexity measure that accounts for both the graph topology and the edge weights. For a fixed graph topology, the universal running time of a weighted graph algorithm is defined as its worst-case running time over all possible edge weightings of G. An algorithm is universally optimal if no other algorithm achieves a better asymptotic universal running time on any particular graph topology. Haeupler, Hladík, Rozhoň, Tarjan, and Tětek show that Dijkstra’s algorithm can be made universally optimal by replacing the heap with a custom data structure. Their approach builds on Iacono’s [SWAT’00] working-set bound ϕ(x). This is a technical definition that, intuitively, for a heap element x, counts the maximum number of simultaneously-present elements y that were pushed onto the heap whilst x was in the heap. They design a new heap data structure that can pop an element x in O(1 + log ϕ(x)) time. They show that Dijkstra’s algorithm with their heap data structure is universally optimal. In this work, we revisit their result. We use a simpler heap property that we will call timestamp optimality, where the cost of popping an element x is logarithmic in the number of elements inserted between pushing and popping x. We show that timestamp optimal heaps are not only easier to define but also easier to implement. Using these time stamps, we provide a significantly simpler proof that Dijkstra’s algorithm, with the right kind of heap, is universally optimal.

Sorting is one of the fundamental algorithmic problems in theoretical computer science. It has a natural generalization, introduced by Fredman in 1976, called sorting under partial information. The input consists of: –a ground set$X$of size$n$, –a partial oracle$O_{F}$(where partial oracle queries for any$(x_{i},x_{j})$output whether$x_{i}\prec _{P}x_{j}$, for some partial order$P$), –a linear oracle$O_{L}$(where linear oracle queries for any$(x_{i},x_{j})$output whether$x_{i} < _{L}x_{j}$and the order$L$extends$P$) The goal is to recover the linear order$L$on$X$using the fewest number of linear oracle queries. In this problem, we measure algorithmic complexity through three metrics: the number of linear oracle queries to$O_{L}$, the number of partial oracle queries to$O_{P}$, and the time spent (the number of algorithmic instructions required to identify for which pairs$(x_{i},x_{j})$a partial or linear oracle query is performed). Let$e(P)$denote the number of linear extensions of$P$. Any algorithm requires worst-case$\log_{2}e(P)$linear oracle queries to recover the linear order on$X$. In 1984, Kahn and Saks presented the first algorithm that uses$\Theta(\log e(P))$linear oracle queries (using$O(n^{2})$partial oracle queries and exponential time). Since then, both the general problem and restricted variants have been consistently studied. The state-of-the-art for the general problem is by Cardinal, Fiorini, Joret, Jungers and Munro who at STOC'10 manage to separate the linear and partial oracle queries into a preprocessing and query phase. They can preprocess$P$using$O(n^{2})$partial oracle queries and$O(n^{2.5})$time. Then, given$O_{L}$, they uncover the linear order on$X$in$\Theta(\log e(P)$linear oracle queries and$O(n+\log e(P))$time - which is worst-case optimal in the number of linear oracle queries but not in the time spent. We present the first algorithm that uses a subquadratic number of partial oracle queries. For any constant$c\geq 1$, our algorithm can preprocess$O_{F}$using O$O(n^{1+\frac{1}{c}})$partial oracle queries and time. Given${OL}$, we uncover the linear order on$X$using$\Theta(c\log e(P))$linear oracle queries and time, which is worst-case optimal. We show a matching lower bound for the prepossessing also, as we show that there exist positive constants$((y,\beta)$where for any constant$c\geq 3$, any algorithm that uses at most$\alpha\cdot n^{1+\frac{1}{c}}$partial oracle queries must use worst-case at least$\beta\cdot c\log e(P)$linear oracle queries. Thus, we solve the problem of sorting under partial information through an algorithm that is asymptotically tight across all three metrics.

We show that every planar triangulation on n > 10 vertices has a dominating set of size 2n/7 = n/3.5. This approaches the n/4 bound conjectured by Matheson and Tarjan [12], and improves significantly on the previous best bound of 17n/53 ≈ n/3.117 by Spacapan [18].

Given n elements, an integer k ≤ n/2 and a parameter ε ≥ 1/n, we study the problem of selecting an element with rank in (k-nε, k+nε] using unreliable comparisons where the outcome of each comparison is incorrect independently with a constant error probability, and multiple comparisons between the same pair of elements are independent. In this fault model, the fundamental problems of finding the minimum, selecting the k-th smallest element and sorting have been shown to require Θ(n log 1/Q), Θ(n log k/Q) and Θ(n log n/Q) comparisons, respectively, to achieve success probability 1-Q [Uriel Feige et al., 1994]. Considering the increasing complexity of modern computing, it is of great interest to develop approximation algorithms that enable a trade-off between the solution quality and the number of comparisons. In particular, approximation algorithms would even be able to attain a sublinear number of comparisons. Very recently, Leucci and Liu [Stefano Leucci and Chih-Hung Liu, 2022] proved that the approximate minimum selection problem, which covers the case that k ≤ nε, requires expected Θ(ε^{-1} log 1/Q) comparisons, but the general case, i.e., for nε < k ≤ n/2, is still open. We develop a randomized algorithm that performs expected O(k/n ε^{-2} log 1/Q) comparisons to achieve success probability at least 1-Q. For k = n ε, the number of comparisons is O(ε^{-1} log 1/Q), matching Leucci and Liu’s result [Stefano Leucci and Chih-Hung Liu, 2022], whereas for k = n/2 (i.e., approximating the median), the number of comparisons is O(ε^{-2} log 1/Q). We also prove that even in the absence of comparison faults, any randomized algorithm with success probability at least 1-Q performs expected Ω(min{n, k/n ε^{-2} log 1/Q}) comparisons. As long as n is large enough, i.e., when n = Ω(k/n ε^{-2} log 1/Q), our lower bound demonstrates the optimality of our algorithm, which covers the possible range of attaining a sublinear number of comparisons. Surprisingly, for constant Q, our algorithm performs expected O(k/n ε^{-2}) comparisons, matching the best possible approximation algorithm in the absence of computation faults. In contrast, for the exact selection problem, the expected number of comparisons is Θ(n log k) with faults versus Θ(n) without faults. Our results also indicate a clear distinction between approximating the minimum and approximating the k-th smallest element, which holds even for the high probability guarantee, e.g., if k = n/2, Q = 1/n and ε = n^{-α} for α ∈ (0, 1/2), the asymptotic difference is almost quadratic, i.e., Θ̃(n^α) versus Θ̃(n^{2α}).

We introduce the abstract notion of a chain, which is a sequence of n points in the plane, ordered by x -coordinates, so that the edge between any two consecutive points is unavoidable as far as triangulations are concerned. A general theory of the structural properties of chains is developed, alongside a general understanding of their number of triangulations. We also describe an intriguing new and concrete configuration, which we call the Koch chain due to its similarities to the Koch curve. A specific construction based on Koch chains is then shown to have Ω (9.08 n ) triangulations. This is a significant improvement over the previous and long-standing lower bound of Ω (8.65 n ) for the maximum number of triangulations of planar point sets.