Combinatorial Algorithms (RM35KOA)

Lecturers: Zdeněk Hanzálek, Antonín Novák

Lab teacher: Antonín Novák

Brute, Timetable

This course focuses on the problems and algorithms of combinatorial optimization (often called discrete optimization). We emphasize the practical use of optimization techniques and algorithms based on graphs, integer linear programming, heuristics, approximation algorithms, and state-space search methods. You will learn how to formulate the problem using existing formalisms, and you will obtain experience with the existing algorithms solving them. We demonstrate the use of combinatorial optimization algorithms on a large variety of real-life applications, e.g., logistics, transportation, planning of human resources, scheduling in production lines, message routing, and scheduling in parallel computers.

Materials by topic

Students may receive a total of 100 points. The final exam is worth 50% of the grade, while the other 50% can be obtained during the semester.

The points are distributed according to the following table.

¹⁾ To get an ungraded assessment the following requirements have to be met:

• successfully solve all homework assignments (i.e., accepted by BRUTE evaluation as correct)
• obtain at least 30 from 50 points

The last date of awarding the ungraded assessments is 25. 5. 2024. If you fail to fulfill the requirements by then, you will also fail the entire class.

²⁾ Only the students, who obtained the ungraded assessment are allowed to take the exam. The exam constitutes of the written part (40 points) and oral exam (10 points). To pass the written exam, it is necessary to get at least 20 points. The oral exam is mandatory.

Final grading scale:

The following applies only to students who got an ungraded assessment in the previous year (all other students have to undergo the course from scratch).

Although the assessments are not fully recognized, the students may opt-in to transfer some points from the previous year to the current one (they may also undergo the course from scratch to get a higher number of points). The following rules apply

1. Theoretical tests, practical test and the homeworks have to be repeated.
2. Students may transfer points from the semester project. If the grading table of the course changes between the years, the points are scaled accordingly. It is also possible to work on the same topic to increase/decrease the number of received points.
3. The minimum number of points required to get an ungraded assessment is always taken from the current year grading table.