A 4.509-Approximation Algorithm for Generalized Min Sum Set Cover
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arXiv
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| Natura: | Preprint |
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2026
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| author | Bhangale, Amey Zhang, Yezhou |
| author_facet | Bhangale, Amey Zhang, Yezhou |
| contents | We study the \emph{generalized min-sum set cover} (GMSSC) problem, where given a collection of hyperedges $E$ with arbitrary covering requirements $\{k_e \in \mathbb{Z}^+ : e \in E\}$, the objective is to find an ordering of the vertices that minimizes the total cover time of the hyperedges. A hyperedge $e$ is considered covered at the first time when $k_e$ of its vertices appear in the ordering.
We present a $4.509$-approximation algorithm for GMSSC, improving upon the previous best-known guarantee of $4.642$~\cite[SODA'21]{BansalBFT21}. Our approach retains the general LP-based framework of Bansal, Batra, Farhadi, and Tetali~\cite{BansalBFT21} but provides an improved analysis that narrows the gap toward the lower bound of $4$-approximation assuming P$\neq$NP. Our analysis takes advantage of the constraints of the linear program in a nontrivial way, along with new lower-tail bounds for the sums of independent Bernoulli random variables, which could be of independent interest. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_10031 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | A 4.509-Approximation Algorithm for Generalized Min Sum Set Cover Bhangale, Amey Zhang, Yezhou Data Structures and Algorithms We study the \emph{generalized min-sum set cover} (GMSSC) problem, where given a collection of hyperedges $E$ with arbitrary covering requirements $\{k_e \in \mathbb{Z}^+ : e \in E\}$, the objective is to find an ordering of the vertices that minimizes the total cover time of the hyperedges. A hyperedge $e$ is considered covered at the first time when $k_e$ of its vertices appear in the ordering. We present a $4.509$-approximation algorithm for GMSSC, improving upon the previous best-known guarantee of $4.642$~\cite[SODA'21]{BansalBFT21}. Our approach retains the general LP-based framework of Bansal, Batra, Farhadi, and Tetali~\cite{BansalBFT21} but provides an improved analysis that narrows the gap toward the lower bound of $4$-approximation assuming P$\neq$NP. Our analysis takes advantage of the constraints of the linear program in a nontrivial way, along with new lower-tail bounds for the sums of independent Bernoulli random variables, which could be of independent interest. |
| title | A 4.509-Approximation Algorithm for Generalized Min Sum Set Cover |
| topic | Data Structures and Algorithms |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.10031 |