Greedy Algorithms

Introduction
 Greedy Algorithm
• Greedy algorithms make the choice that looks
best at the moment.

• Find simple and straightforward solutions.

• Gives you locally optimal solution without looking

ahead.

• This locally optimal choice may or may not lead

to a globally optimal solution (i.e. an optimal
solution to the entire problem).
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 Advantages and disadvantages
• Advantages
– Simple
– Quick
– Easy to program

• Disadvantages
– Does not always lead to a global optimal solution.

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 Example
• Find the Shortest Path From a Graph

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 Greedy Algorithms

Part -1 : Greedy Coin Changing Algorithm

Coin Change

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 Objective
Pay out a given sum S with the smallest
number of coins possible.

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 Coin Change
• Assume that we have an unlimited number of coins of
various denominations:
$1, $5, $10, $25, $50

• Now use a greedy method to give the least amount of

coins for $41

41 – 25 = 16 ------ 25
16 – 10 = 6 -------10
6 – 5=1 ------- 5
1 –1=0 -------1

We have to give: 25 10 5 1
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Making Change – A big problem - 1
• Assume that we have an unlimited number of coins of
various denominations:
$4 , $10, $25

• Now use a greedy method to give the least amount of

coins for $41

41 – 25 = 16 ------ 25
16 – 10 = 6 ------- 10
6– 4 =2 ------- 4
2 ------- ???

We should choose 25 4 4 4 4
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Making Change – A big problem -2
• Example 2: Coins are valued $30, $20, $5, $1

– Does not have greedy-choice property, since $40 is

best made with two $.20’s,

– but the greedy solution will pick three coins (which

ones?)

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 Algorithm
• The greedy coin changing algorithm:

while S > 0 do
c := value of the largest coin no larger than S;
num := S / c;
pay out num coins of value c;
S := S - num*c;

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 Greedy Algorithms

Part -2 : Bin Packing Problem

Concept

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 Bin Packing
• In the bin packing problem, objects of different volumes must be
packed into a finite number of bins or containers each of volume V
in a way that minimizes the number of bins used.

• There are many variations of this problem,

such as 2D packing,
linear packing,
packing by weight,
packing by cost, and so on.

• They have many applications, such as filling up containers, loading

trucks with weight capacity constraints, creating file backups in
media and so on.

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 Ways of Solution

• First Fit Algorithm

• First Fit Decreasing Algorithm
• Full Bin Algorithm
• Other Algorithms

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Find The Lower Bound

Total size = 12 + 12 + 7 + 6
+ 10 + 4 + 5 + 1 = 57

Bin Size = 20

Lower Bound = 57/20

= 2.85 = 3

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 First Fit Algorithm

• This is a very straightforward greedy

approximation algorithm.

• The algorithm processes the items in arbitrary

order.

• For each item, it attempts to place the item in the

first bin that can accommodate the item. If no bin
is found, it opens a new bin and puts the item
within the new bin.

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First Fit

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First Fit Solution

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 First Fit Decreasing Algorithm

• Sort the items in decreasing order.

• Repeat the process First Fit.

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First Fit Decreasing

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First Fit Decreasing Solution

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 Full Bin Algorithm

• The full bin packing algorithm is more likely to

produce an optimal solution – using the least
possible number of bins – than the first fit
decreasing and first fit algorithms. It works by
matching object so as to fill as many bins as
possible.

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 Full Bin Concept

• Place the Items into the most full bin, which

could accept it.

• Keeps bins open even when the next item in the

list will not fit in the previous opened bins, in the
hope that a later smaller item will fill.

• Put it in the bins so that smallest empty space is

left.

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Full Bin Example

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Full Bin Solution

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 Analysis
• FIRST FIT
– Easiest to use
– Isn’t optimal

• FIRST FIT DCREASING

– Easy to use
– Isn’t optimal always

• FULL BIN
– Optimal
– Difficult to use
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Try By yourself

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 Greedy Algorithms

Part -3 : Knapsack Problems

 Knapsack Problem
• 0/1 Knapsack
– Either take all of an item or none.

• Fractional Knapsack
– You can take fractional amount of an item.

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 Concept of Knapsack Problem
• A Set of Items are given where,
– No of Items = n [X1, X2, X3, ….. Xn]
– Weight of Xi = Wi
– Profit of Xi = Pi
– Knapsack Size = m

• Goal:
– Maximize the Profit ΣPiXi
within ΣWiXi <= m

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Fractional Knapsack

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 Fractional Knapsack problem
ITEM PRICE WEIGHT Three Cases:
1. Maximum Price
X1 25 18 2. Minimum Weight
3. Maximum Pi/Wi
X2 24 15

X3 15 10 X1 X2 X3 Σ WiXi Σ PiXi

1 2/15 0 20 28.2
Total Item , n = 10
0 10/15 1 20 31
Knapsack Size , m = 20
0 1 1/2 20 31.5

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0/1 Knapsack

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 Drawbacks of Greedy Methods

Does not always find the optimal solution for

some problems.

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