Hans-Joachim Böckenhauer: Catalogue data in Spring Semester 2018

Name Dr. Hans-Joachim Böckenhauer
Consultation hoursBy appointment
Address
Professur Algorithmen und Didaktik
ETH Zürich, CAB F 11
Universitätstrasse 6
8092 Zürich
SWITZERLAND
Telephone+41 44 632 81 83
Fax+41 44 632 13 90
E-mailhjb@inf.ethz.ch
URLhttp://www.ite.ethz.ch/people/hjb/
DepartmentComputer Science
RelationshipLecturer

NumberTitleECTSHoursLecturers
272-0301-00LMethods for Design of Random Systems Information
This course d o e s n o t include the Mentored Work Specialised Courses with an Educational Focus in Computer Science B.
4 credits2V + 1UH.‑J. Böckenhauer, D. Komm, R. Kralovic
AbstractThe students should get a deep understanding of the notion of randomness and its usefulness. Using basic elements probability theory and number theory the students will discover randomness as a source of efficiency in algorithmic. The goal is to teach the paradigms of design of randomized algorithms.
Learning objectiveTo understand the computational power of randomness and to learn the basic
methods for designing randomized algorithms
Lecture notesJ. Hromkovic: Randomisierte Algorithmen, Teubner 2004.

J.Hromkovic: Design and Analysis of Randomized Algorithms. Springer 2006.

J.Hromkovic: Algorithmics for Hard Problems, Springer 2004.
LiteratureJ. Hromkovic: Randomisierte Algorithmen, Teubner 2004.

J.Hromkovic: Design and Analysis of Randomized Algorithms. Springer 2006.

J.Hromkovic: Algorithmics for Hard Problems, Springer 2004.
272-0302-00LApproximation and Online Algorithms Information 4 credits2V + 1UH.‑J. Böckenhauer, D. Komm
AbstractThis lecture deals with approximative algorithms for hard optimization problems and algorithmic approaches for solving online problems as well as the limits of these approaches.
Learning objectiveGet a systematic overview of different methods for designing approximative algorithms for hard optimization problems and online problems. Get to know methods for showing the limitations of these approaches.
ContentApproximation algorithms are one of the most succesful techniques to attack hard optimization problems. Here, we study the so-called approximation ratio, i.e., the ratio of the cost of the computed approximating solution and an optimal one (which is not computable efficiently).
For an online problem, the whole instance is not known in advance, but it arrives pieceweise and for every such piece a corresponding part of the definite output must be given. The quality of an algorithm for such an online problem is measured by the competitive ratio, i.e., the ratio of the cost of the computed solution and the cost of an optimal solution that could be given if the whole input was known in advance.

The contents of this lecture are
- the classification of optimization problems by the reachable approximation ratio,
- systematic methods to design approximation algorithms (e.g., greedy strategies, dynamic programming, linear programming relaxation),
- methods to show non-approximability,
- classic online problem like paging or scheduling problems and corresponding algorithms,
- randomized online algorithms,
- the design and analysis principles for online algorithms, and
- limits of the competitive ratio and the advice complexity as a way to do a deeper analysis of the complexity of online problems.
LiteratureThe lecture is based on the following books:

J. Hromkovic: Algorithmics for Hard Problems, Springer, 2004

D. Komm: An Introduction to Online Computation: Determinism, Randomization, Advice, Springer, 2016

Additional literature:

A. Borodin, R. El-Yaniv: Online Computation and Competitive Analysis, Cambridge University Press, 1998