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Given a set of n integer-valued coin types and a target value t, the well-known change-making problem asks for the minimum number of coins that sum to t, assuming an unlimited number of coins in each type. In the more general all-targets version of the problem, we want the minimum number of coins summing to j, for every j = 0,…,t. For example, the textbook dynamic programming algorithms can solve the all-targets problem in O(nt) time. Recently, Chan and He (SOSA'20) described a number of O(t polylog t)-time algorithms for the original (single-target) version of the change-making problem, but not the all-targets version. In this paper, we obtain a number of new results on change-making and related problems: - We present a new algorithm for the all-targets change-making problem with running time Õ(t^{4/3}), improving a previous Õ(t^{3/2})-time algorithm. - We present a very simple Õ(u²+t)-time algorithm for the all-targets change-making problem, where u denotes the maximum coin value. The analysis of the algorithm uses a theorem of Erdős and Graham (1972) on the Frobenius problem. This algorithm can be extended to solve the all-capacities version of the unbounded knapsack problem (for integer item weights bounded by u). - For the original (single-target) coin changing problem, we describe a simple modification of one of Chan and He’s algorithms that runs in Õ(u) time (instead of Õ(t)). - For the original (single-capacity) unbounded knapsack problem, we describe a simple algorithm that runs in Õ(nu) time, improving previous near-u²-time algorithms. - We also observe how one of our ideas implies a new result on the minimum word break problem, an optimization version of a string problem studied by Bringmann et al. (FOCS'17), generalizing change-making (which corresponds to the unary special case).

We improve the running times of O(1)-approximation algorithms for the set cover problem in geometric settings, specifically, covering points by disks in the plane, or covering points by halfspaces in three dimensions. In the unweighted case, Agarwal and Pan [SoCG 2014] gave a randomized O(n log⁴n)-time, O(1)-approximation algorithm, by using variants of the multiplicative weight update (MWU) method combined with geometric data structures. We simplify the data structure requirement in one of their methods and obtain a deterministic O(n log³n log log n)-time algorithm. With further new ideas, we obtain a still faster randomized O(n log n(log log n)^O(1))-time algorithm. For the weighted problem, we also give a randomized O(n log⁴n log log n)-time, O(1)-approximation algorithm, by simple modifications to the MWU method and the quasi-uniform sampling technique.

We present a number of new results about range searching for colored (or "categorical") data: 1) For a set of n colored points in three dimensions, we describe randomized data structures with O(n polylog n) space that can report the distinct colors in any query orthogonal range (axis-aligned box) in O(k polyloglog n) expected time, where k is the number of distinct colors in the range, assuming that coordinates are in {1,…,n}. Previous data structures require O((log n)/(log log n) + k) query time. Our result also implies improvements in higher constant dimensions. 2) Our data structures can be adapted to halfspace ranges in three dimensions (or circular ranges in two dimensions), achieving O(k log n) expected query time. Previous data structures require O(k log²n) query time. 3) For a set of n colored points in two dimensions, we describe a data structure with O(n polylog n) space that can answer colored "type-2" range counting queries: report the number of occurrences of every distinct color in a query orthogonal range. The query time is O((log n)/(log log n) + k log log n), where k is the number of distinct colors in the range. Naively performing k uncolored range counting queries would require O(k (log n)/(log log n)) time. Our data structures are designed using a variety of techniques, including colored variants of randomized incremental construction (which may be of independent interest), colored variants of shallow cuttings, and bit-packing tricks.

We consider the problem of computing Shapley values for points in the plane, where each point is interpreted as a player, and the value of a coalition is defined by the area of usual geometric objects, such as the convex hull or the minimum axis-parallel bounding box. For sets of n points in the plane, we show how to compute in roughly O(n^{3/2}) time the Shapley values for the area of the minimum axis-parallel bounding box and the area of the union of the rectangles spanned by the origin and the input points. When the points form an increasing or decreasing chain, the running time can be improved to near-linear. In all these cases, we use linearity of the Shapley values and algebraic methods. We also show that Shapley values for the area of the convex hull or the minimum enclosing disk can be computed in O(n^2) and O(n^3) time, respectively. These problems are closely related to the model of stochastic point sets considered in computational geometry, but here we have to consider random insertion orders of the points instead of a probabilistic existence of points.

We present new results on a number of fundamental problems about dynamic geometric data structures: 1) We describe the first fully dynamic data structures with sublinear amortized update time for maintaining (i) the number of vertices or the volume of the convex hull of a 3D point set, (ii) the largest empty circle for a 2D point set, (iii) the Hausdorff distance between two 2D point sets, (iv) the discrete 1-center of a 2D point set, (v) the number of maximal (i.e., skyline) points in a 3D point set. The update times are near n^{11/12} for (i) and (ii), n^{7/8} for (iii) and (iv), and n^{2/3} for (v). Previously, sublinear bounds were known only for restricted "semi-online" settings [Chan, SODA 2002]. 2) We slightly improve previous fully dynamic data structures for answering extreme point queries for the convex hull of a 3D point set and nearest neighbor search for a 2D point set. The query time is O(log^2n), and the amortized update time is O(log^4n) instead of O(log^5n) [Chan, SODA 2006; Kaplan et al., SODA 2017]. 3) We also improve previous fully dynamic data structures for maintaining the bichromatic closest pair between two 2D point sets and the diameter of a 2D point set. The amortized update time is O(log^4n) instead of O(log^7n) [Eppstein 1995; Chan, SODA 2006; Kaplan et al., SODA 2017].

Given a set of n points in the plane, and a parameter k, we consider the problem of computing the minimum (perimeter or area) axis-aligned rectangle enclosing k points. We present the first near quadratic time algorithm for this problem, improving over the previous near-O(n^{5/2})-time algorithm by Kaplan et al. [Haim Kaplan et al., 2017]. We provide an almost matching conditional lower bound, under the assumption that (min,+)-convolution cannot be solved in truly subquadratic time. Furthermore, we present a new reduction (for either perimeter or area) that can make the time bound sensitive to k, giving near O(n k) time. We also present a near linear time (1+epsilon)-approximation algorithm to the minimum area of the optimal rectangle containing k points. In addition, we study related problems including the 3-sided, arbitrarily oriented, weighted, and subset sum versions of the problem.

We consider the problem of computing Shapley values for points in the plane, where each point is interpreted as a player, and the value of a coalition is defined by the area of usual geometric objects, such as the convex hull or the minimum axis-parallel bounding box. For sets of n points in the plane, we show how to compute in roughly O(n^{3/2}) time the Shapley values for the area of the minimum axis-parallel bounding box and the area of the union of the rectangles spanned by the origin and the input points. When the points form an increasing or decreasing chain, the running time can be improved to near-linear. In all these cases, we use linearity of the Shapley values and algebraic methods. We also show that Shapley values for the area of the convex hull or the minimum enclosing disk can be computed in O(n^2) and O(n^3) time, respectively. These problems are closely related to the model of stochastic point sets considered in computational geometry, but here we have to consider random insertion orders of the points instead of a probabilistic existence of points.

For any constant d and parameter epsilon > 0, we show the existence of (roughly) 1/epsilon^d orderings on the unit cube [0,1)^d, such that any two points p, q in [0,1)^d that are close together under the Euclidean metric are "close together" in one of these linear orderings in the following sense: the only points that could lie between p and q in the ordering are points with Euclidean distance at most epsilon | p - q | from p or q. These orderings are extensions of the Z-order, and they can be efficiently computed. Functionally, the orderings can be thought of as a replacement to quadtrees and related structures (like well-separated pair decompositions). We use such orderings to obtain surprisingly simple algorithms for a number of basic problems in low-dimensional computational geometry, including (i) dynamic approximate bichromatic closest pair, (ii) dynamic spanners, (iii) dynamic approximate minimum spanning trees, (iv) static and dynamic fault-tolerant spanners, and (v) approximate nearest neighbor search.

For many algorithms dealing with sets of points in the plane, the only relevant information carried by the input is the combinatorial configuration of the points: the orientation of each triple of points in the set (clockwise, counterclockwise, or collinear). This information is called the order type of the point set. In the dual, realizable order types and abstract order types are combinatorial analogues of line arrangements and pseudoline arrangements. Too often in the literature we analyze algorithms in the real-RAM model for simplicity, putting aside the fact that computers as we know them cannot handle arbitrary real numbers without some sort of encoding. Encoding an order type by the integer coordinates of a realizing point set is known to yield doubly exponential coordinates in some cases. Other known encodings can achieve quadratic space or fast orientation queries, but not both. In this contribution, we give a compact encoding for abstract order types that allows an efficient query of the orientation of any triple: the encoding uses O(n2) bits and an orientation query takes O(log n) time in the word-RAM model with word size w ≥ log n. This encoding is space-optimal for abstract order types. We show how to shorten the encoding to O(n2(log log n)2/ log n) bits for realizable order types, giving the first subquadratic encoding for those order types with fast orientation queries. We further refine our encoding to attain O(log n/ log log n) query time at the expense of a negligibly larger space requirement. In the realizable case, we show that all those encodings can be computed efficiently. Finally, we generalize our results to the encoding of point configurations in higher dimension., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

We present new results on a number of fundamental problems about dynamic geometric data structures: 1. We describe the first fully dynamic data structures with sublinear amortized update time for maintaining (i) the number of vertices or the volume of the convex hull of a 3D point set, (ii) the largest empty circle for a 2D point set, (iii) the Hausdorff distance between two 2D point sets, (iv) the discrete 1-center of a 2D point set, (v)the number of maximal (i.e., skyline) points in a 3D point set. The update times are near $n^{11/12}$ for (i) and (ii), $n^{7/8}$ for (iii) and (iv), and $n^{2/3}$ for (v). Previously, sublinear bounds were known only for restricted `semi-online' settings [Chan, SODA 2002]. 2. We slightly improve previous fully dynamic data structures for answering extreme point queries for the convex hull of a 3D point set and nearest neighbor search for a 2D point set. The query time is $O(\log^2n)$, and the amortized update time is $O(\log^4n)$ instead of $O(\log^5n)$ [Chan, SODA 2006; Kaplan et al., SODA 2017]. 3. We also improve previous fully dynamic data structures for maintaining the bichromatic closest pair between two 2D point sets and the diameter of a 2D point set. The amortized update time is $O(\log^4n)$ instead of $O(\log^7n)$ [Eppstein 1995; Chan, SODA 2006; Kaplan et al., SODA 2017].