Approximating Linear Threshold Predicates [chapter]

Mahdi Cheraghchi, Johan Håstad, Marcus Isaksson, Ola Svensson
2010 Lecture Notes in Computer Science  
We study constraint satisfaction problems on the domain {−1, 1}, where the given constraints are homogeneous linear threshold predicates. That is, predicates of the form sgn(w1x1 + · · · + wnxn) for some positive integer weights w1, . . . , wn. Despite their simplicity, current techniques fall short of providing a classification of these predicates in terms of approximability. In fact, it is not easy to guess whether there exists a homogeneous linear threshold predicate that is approximation
more » ... istant or not. The focus of this paper is to identify and study the approximation curve of a class of threshold predicates that allow for non-trivial approximation. Arguably the simplest such predicate is the majority predicate sgn(x1 + · · · + xn), for which we obtain an almost complete understanding of the asymptotic approximation curve, assuming the Unique Games Conjecture. Our techniques extend to a more general class of "majoritylike" predicates and we obtain parallel results for them. In order to classify these predicates, we introduce the notion of Chow-robustness that might be of independent interest.
doi:10.1007/978-3-642-15369-3_9 fatcat:xibuyeq3ord4rbagno3sxnalne