Query-Competitive Algorithms for Computing with Uncertainty

Motivated by real-life situations in which exact input data is not available initially but can be obtained at a cost, one can consider the model of computing with uncertainty where the input to a problem is initially not known precisely. For each input element, only a set that contains the exact value of that input element is given. The algorithm can repeatedly perform queries to reveal the exact value of an input element. The goal is to minimize the number of queries needed until enough information has been obtained to produce the desired output. The performance of an algorithm is measured using competitive analysis, comparing the number of queries with the best possible number of queries for the given instance. We give a survey of known results and techniques for this model of queryable uncertainty, mention results for some related models, and point to possible directions for future work.

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