Competitive Analysis — Concepts and Solution Techniques

Abstract

In this chapter, we address the fundamental concepts of Competitive Analysis. Competitive analysis serves as a useful analytical tool in quantifying the performance of on-line algorithms. In a way, for an algorithmic designer, this tool aids to fine-tune his/her design to get the solution as closer as possible to an optimal solution. Problems that can be considered for analysis using this analytical tool include K-Server Problem, Paging Problem, Distributed Object Management, Web-Caching 1, Load Balancing in computer networks, Disk Header Scheduling, to quote a few. We first give formal definitions of competitiveness for both deterministic on-line algorithms and randomized on-line algorithms. We then enumerate several techniques in competitive analysis such as Potential Function method, Phase Partition Technique, and so forth. Several illustrative examples are provided for the ease of understanding to elicit important competitive properties of an on-line algorithm.