The log bucking problem: A comparison of dynamic programming versus branch and bound

Abstract Branch and bound and dynamic programming are often alternative techniques used to solve the same problems. One of the most prominent examples where both have been used is for the travelling salesman problem. The structure for that particular problem has created a domain in which complexity has established clear regions of solution technique dominance. In this paper, a practical problem, log bucking, is defined. Within this scenario, the branch and bound and dynamic programming models are tested against each other on a common set of problems. The problem domain is defined by parameters that form an outer boundary for the current limits of the problems solved by past research. The purpose of this paper is to establish regions of technique superiority as measured by accuracy and time to solution for the problem domain.