Download or read book Lectures on Proof Verification and Approximation Algorithms written by Ernst W. Mayr and published by Springer. This book was released on 2006-06-08 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the last few years, we have seen quite spectacular progress in the area of approximation algorithms: for several fundamental optimization problems we now actually know matching upper and lower bounds for their approximability. This textbook-like tutorial is a coherent and essentially self-contained presentation of the enormous recent progress facilitated by the interplay between the theory of probabilistically checkable proofs and aproximation algorithms. The basic concepts, methods, and results are presented in a unified way to provide a smooth introduction for newcomers. These lectures are particularly useful for advanced courses or reading groups on the topic.