Algorithms

for
VLSI Design Automation

Chapter-4
Tractable And Intractable Problems
Tractable And Intractable Problems
 What is covered in this chapter?
 Combinatorial Optimization problem and its decision version
 Then NP-Completeness is introduced
 Consequences of this theory for the design of CAD tools

 Tractable and Intractable Problems

 A Problem that can be solved in polynomial time is called tractable
problem
otherwise it is intractable problem
 It is feasible to use exact algorithms that find the optimal solution

2
 Optimization Problem
 Problem:
 Problem refers to a general class
eg: shortest path problem
 Instance:
 Instance refers to a specific case of a problem
eg: shortest path problem between two gives vertices in a graph G
An instance I = (F,c)
where F is the feasible solutions and
c is the cost function, assigning a cost value to each
feasible solution
c: F  R
The solution of the optimization problem is the feasible solution with
optimal cost (minimal/maximal)
Optimization problem can be characterized by a finite set of
variables
 Continuous optimization problem
 if the variables range over real numbers
 combinatorial optimization problem
 if the variables are discrete
 Most of the problems in CAD tools are combinatorial 3
Optimization Problem Cntd.
 Examples of combinatorial problems
Eg1: satisfiability problem

Eg2: Dijkstra’s shortest-path problem

 selected edges can be given 1 and 0 for unselected edges

Eg3: The Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP)

4
Optimization Problem Cntd.
Eg4: The Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP)

5
 Combinatorial
Optimization Problem
 Problem:
 Problem refers to a general class
eg: shortest path problem

 Instance:
 Instance refers to a specific case of a problem
eg: shortest path problem between two gives vertices in a graph G

An instance I = (F,c)
where F is the feasible solutions and
c is the cost function, assigning a cost value to each
feasible solution
c: F  R
The solution of the optimization problem is the feasible solution
with optimal cost (minimal/maximal)