Sort well with energy-constrained comparisons


METADATA ONLY
Loading...

Date

2016-10-28

Publication Type

Working Paper

ETH Bibliography

yes

Citations

Altmetric
METADATA ONLY

Data

Rights / License

Abstract

We study very simple sorting algorithms based on a probabilistic comparator model. In our model, errors in comparing two elements are due to (1) the energy or effort put in the comparison and (2) the difference between the compared elements. Such algorithms keep comparing pairs of randomly chosen elements, and they correspond to Markovian processes. The study of these Markov chains reveals an interesting phenomenon. Namely, in several cases, the algorithm which repeatedly compares only adjacent elements is better than the one making arbitrary comparisons: on the long-run, the former algorithm produces sequences that are "better sorted". The analysis of the underlying Markov chain poses new interesting questions as the latter algorithm yields a non-reversible chain and therefore its stationary distribution seems difficult to calculate explicitly.

Publication status

published

Editor

Book title

Journal / series

Volume

Pages / Article No.

1610.09223

Publisher

Cornell University

Event

Edition / version

Methods

Software

Geographic location

Date collected

Date created

Subject

Organisational unit

03340 - Widmayer, Peter (emeritus) / Widmayer, Peter (emeritus) check_circle

Notes

Funding

165524 - Energy-Tunable Combinatorial Algorithms (SNF)

Related publications and datasets

Is previous version of: