Lecture 5

Today’s topic: Dynamic Programming

• More on Dynamic Programming, Knapsack and an example.
• Pseudo Polynomial vs. Polynomial.

Links to Slides

• The slides can be found here

Reading Guide

• All of Chapter 15 of CLRS3 or all of Chapter 14 of CLRS4.

• The textbook does not say that much about pseudo-polynomial time and the 0-1 Knapsack problem, even though it is an important concept. There there is plenty of material on the internet. I suggest that you start with the Wikipedia entries on Pseudo-polynomial time and the Knapsack problem. You also might find these notes useful.

What should I know by the end of this lecture?

• Yet more dynamic programming examples
• How to decompose a problem using Dynamic Programming
• Optimal substructure
• The difference between polynomial and pseudo-polynomial time. Ask yourself why isn’t the dynamic program for 0-1 Knapsack polynomial time?