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On a query algorithm for a divisibility problem
- Source :
- ACM Communications in Computer Algebra. 41:122-124
- Publication Year :
- 2007
- Publisher :
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), 2007.
-
Abstract
- According to an old result of Turán, any ( n + 1)-subset of {1, 2, ..., 2 n } contains a pair of divisible numbers. Ciurea et al. have recently considered a natural algorithmic variant of this classic mathematical result: if the subset is not known, and it is only accessible via a membership oracle, what is the minimum number of questions necessary to identify one such divisible pair? They showed a 4/3 n -- O (1) lower bound and also designed an algorithm which they conjectured asks no more than 4/3 n + O (1) queries, and therefore would be optimal. We reanalyze the proposed algorithm and prove that it comes close to the conjectured value, in asking no more than (4/3 + 5/108) n + O (1) queries; this corrects an error in the old analysis.
Details
- ISSN :
- 19322240
- Volume :
- 41
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- ACM Communications in Computer Algebra
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........5cc024653e0c6cf9209c5fd2b0fcc315