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A dual algorithm for the one-machine scheduling problem

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Abstract

A branch and bound algorithm is presented for the problem of schedulingn jobs on a single machine to minimize tardiness. The algorithm uses a dual problem to obtain a good feasible solution and an extremely sharp lower bound on the optimal objective value. To derive the dual problem we regard the single machine as imposing a constraint for each time period. A dual variable is associated with each of these constraints and used to form a Lagrangian problem in which the dualized constraints appear in the objective function. A lower bound is obtained by solving the Lagrangian problem with fixed multiplier values. The major theoretical result of the paper is an algorithm which solves the Lagrangian problem in a number of steps proportional to the product ofn 2 and the average job processing time. The search for multiplier values which maximize the lower bound leads to the formulation and optimization of the dual problem. The bounds obtained are so sharp that very little enumeration or computer time is required to solve even large problems. Computational experience with 20-, 30-, and 50-job problems is presented.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa., USA

    Marshall L. Fisher

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  1. Marshall L. Fisher
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Additional information

This work was supported in part by National Science Foundation Grant SOC-7402516.

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Fisher, M.L. A dual algorithm for the one-machine scheduling problem. Mathematical Programming 11, 229–251 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01580393

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01580393

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