Theoretical Improvements in Algorithmic Efficiency for Network Flow Problems

This paper presents new algorithms for the maximum flow problem, the Hitchcock transportation problem, and the general minimum-cost flow problem. Upper bounds on the numbers of steps in these algorithms are derived, and are shown to compale favorably with upper bounds on the numbers of steps required by earlier algorithms. First, the paper states the maximum flow problem, gives the Ford-Fulkerson labeling method for its solution, and points out that an improper choice of flow augmenting paths can lead to severe computational difficulties. Then rules of choice that avoid these difficulties are given. We show that, if each flow augmentation is made along an augmenting path having a minimum number of arcs, then a maximum flow in an n-node network will be obtained after no more than ~(n a - n) augmentations; and then we show that if each flow change is chosen to produce a maximum increase in the flow value then, provided the capacities are integral, a maximum flow will be determined within at most 1 + logM/(M--1) if(t, S) augmentations, wheref*(t, s) is the value of the maximum flow and M is the maximum number of arcs across a cut. Next a new algorithm is given for the minimum-cost flow problem, in which all shortest-path computations are performed on networks with all weights nonnegative. In particular, this algorithm solves the n X n assigmnent problem in O(n 3) steps. Following that we explore a "scaling" technique for solving a minimum-cost flow problem by treating a sequence of derived problems with "scaled down" capacities. It is shown that, using this technique, the solution of a Iiitchcock transportation problem with m sources and n sinks, m ~ n, and maximum flow B, requires at most (n + 2) log2 (B/n) flow augmentations. Similar results are also given for the general minimum-cost flow problem. An abstract stating the main results of the present paper was presented at the Calgary International Conference on Combinatorial Structures and Their Applications, June 1969. In a paper by l)inic (1970) a result closely related to the main result of Section 1.2 is obtained. Dinic shows that, in a network with n nodes and p arcs, a maximum flow can be computed in 0 (n2p) primitive operations by an algorithm which augments along shortest augmenting paths. KEY WOl¢l)S AND PHP~ASES: network flows, transportation problem, analysis of algorithms CR CATEGOI{.IES: 5.3, 5.4, 8.3