
doi: 10.1287/ijoc.7.2.218
This paper is concerned with an identification problem of a set of K out of N numbers. Two parties are involved in the identification process, the inquirer and the respondent. The set to be identified is referred to as the chosen subset and it is known only to the respondent. The identification process involves the inquirer who wishes to identify the chosen subset by asking a series of questions. At each question the inquirer selects a subset of K elements out of N, the inquired subset, and receives from the respondent partial information about the number of elements which belongs to both the inquired subset and the chosen subset. The questions continue until the chosen subset is identified. A possible application of the problem is related to learning games. Two types of algorithms, which are independent of each other and aimed at identifying the chosen subset, are presented in this paper. Type I algorithms (uncertainty reduction) select only subsets that have not yet been rejected as being the chosen subset. A linear integer programming model is employed to identify the set of subsets that have not yet been rejected—the uncertainty set. For Type I algorithms two different decision rules are considered to select a subset. Each decision rule selects the elements of the next inquired subset by employing a different probabilistic argument: 1) randomly select the next subset from among the subsets not yet ruled out, or 2) select as the next subset the one whose elements occur most frequently among the subsets not yet ruled out. Type II algorithms (static and dynamic processing) select a subset according to a different principle which allows the inquirer to select a subset that may not belong to the uncertainty set. This is accomplished by marginally interchanging the elements of any two successive subsets. Analytical solutions are provided for algorithms of Type II. Furthermore, a comparison between the two types of algorithms under different measures of performance, such as the expected number of questions (subsets) required to identify the chosen subset, is conducted through a simulation analysis. INFORMS Journal on Computing, ISSN 1091-9856, was published as ORSA Journal on Computing from 1989 to 1995 under ISSN 0899-1499.
heuristic search, Applications of mathematical programming, linear integer programming, Integer programming, learning games, stochastic model applications, identification problem, Game theory
heuristic search, Applications of mathematical programming, linear integer programming, Integer programming, learning games, stochastic model applications, identification problem, Game theory
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 4 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
