The computational complexity of the local postage stamp problem
Abstract
The well-studied local postage stamp problem (LPSP) is the following: given a positive integer k, a set of postive integers 1 = a1 < a2 < ... < ak and an integer h >= 1, what is the smallest positive integer which cannot be represented as a linear combination x1 a1 + ... + xk ak where x1 + ... + xk <= h and each xi is a non-negative integer? In this note we prove that LPSP is NP-hard under Turing reductions, but can be solved in polynomial time if k is fixed.
- Publication:
-
arXiv Mathematics e-prints
- Pub Date:
- December 2001
- DOI:
- arXiv:
- arXiv:math/0112257
- Bibcode:
- 2001math.....12257S
- Keywords:
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- Number Theory;
- Combinatorics;
- Computational Complexity;
- 11B13 (primary);
- 11D85;
- 68Q25;
- 11Y16 (secondary)