Skip to main content

A Fast, Simpler Algorithm for the Matroid Parity Problem

  • Conference paper

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNTCS,volume 5035))

Abstract

Consider a matrix with m rows and n pairs of columns. The linear matroid parity problem (LMPP) is to determine a maximum number of pairs of columns that are linearly independent. We show how to solve the linear matroid parity problem as a sequence of matroid intersection problems. The algorithm runs in \(\mathcal{O}(m^3n)\). Our algorithm is comparable to the best running time for the LMPP, and is far simpler and faster than the algorithm of Orlin and Vande Vate [10], who also solved the LMPP as a sequence of matroid intersection problems. In addition, the algorithm may be viewed naturally as an extension of the blossom algorithm for nonbipartite matchings.

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

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Edmonds, J.: Paths, trees, and flowers. Canadian Journal of Mathematics 17, 449–467 (1965)

    MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  2. Edmonds, J.: Submodular functions, matroids, and certain polyhedral. In: Guy, R., Hanani, H., Sauer, N., Schónheim, J. (eds.) Combinatorial Structures and Their Applications (proceedings Calgary International Conference on Combinatorial Structures and Their Applications, Calgary, Alberta, 1969), pp. 69–87. Gordon and Breach, New York (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Gabow, H.N., Stallmann, M.: An augmenting path algorithm for linear matroid parity. Combinatorica 6, 123–150 (1986)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. Jensen, P.M., Korte, B.: Complexity of matroid property algorithms. SIAM Journal on Computing 11, 184–190 (1982)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  5. Lawler, E.L.: Optimal matroid intersections. In: Guy, R., Hanani, H., Sauer, N., Schónheim, J. (eds.) Combinatorial Structures and Their Applications (proceedings Calgary International Conference on Combinatorial Structures and Their Applications, Calgary, Alberta, 1969), pp. 233–234. Gordon and Breach, New York (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Lawler, E.L.: Combinatorial Optimization: Networks and Matroids. Hold, Rinehart and Winston, New York (1976)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Lovász, L.: Matroid matching and some applications. Journal of Combinatorial Theory Series B 28, 208–236 (1980)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  8. Lovász, L.: The matroid matching problem. In: Lovász, L., Sós, V.T. (eds.) Algebraic Methods in Graph Theory, Vol. II (Colloquium Szeged, 1978). Colloquia, Mathematica Societatis János Bolyai, vol. 25, pp. 495–517. North-Holland, Amsterdam (1981)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Lovász, L., Plummer, M.D.: Matching Theory. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest (1986) (also North-Holland Mathematics Studies vol. 121. North-Holland, Amsterdam)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Orlin, J.B., Vande Vate, J.H.: Solving the matroid parity problem as a sequence of matroid intersection problems. Mathematical Programming 47, 81–106 (1990)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  11. Schrijver, A.: Combinatorial Optimization: Polyhedra and Efficiency, vol. 2. Springer, New York (2003)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  12. Stallmann, M., Gabow, H.N.: An augmenting path algorithm for the parity problem on linear matroids. In: 25th Annual Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science, New York, pp. 217–227. IEEE, Los Alamitos (1984)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Andrea Lodi Alessandro Panconesi Giovanni Rinaldi

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Orlin, J.B. (2008). A Fast, Simpler Algorithm for the Matroid Parity Problem. In: Lodi, A., Panconesi, A., Rinaldi, G. (eds) Integer Programming and Combinatorial Optimization. IPCO 2008. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 5035. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68891-4_17

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-68891-4_17

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-68886-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-68891-4

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics