Skip to main content
Log in

Parallel general prefix computations with geometric, algebraic, and other applications

  • Published:
International Journal of Parallel Programming Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We introduce a generic problem component that captures the most common, difficult “kernel” of many problems. This kernel involves general prefix computations (GPC). GPC's lower bound complexity of Ω(n logn) time is established, and we give optimal solutions on the sequential model inO(n logn) time, on the CREW PRAM model inO(logn) time, on the BSR (broadcasting with selective reduction) model in constant time, and on mesh-connected computers inO(√n) time, all withn processors, plus anO(log2 n) time solution on the hypercube model. We show that GPC techniques can be applied to a wide variety of geometric (point set and tree) problems, including triangulation of point sets, two-set dominance counting, ECDF searching, finding two-and three-dimensional maximal points, the reconstruction of trees from their traversals, counting inversions in a permutation, and matching parentheses.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. M. J. Atallah, R. Cole, and M. T. Goodrich, Cascading divide-and-conquer: a technique for designing parallel algorithms,IEEE Symp. Found Comp. Sci., pp. 151–160 (1987).

  2. M. J. Atallah and M. T. Goodrich, Efficient plane sweeping in parallel, Comp. Geom., pp. 216–225 (1986).

  3. J. H. Reif and S. Sandeep, Optimal randomized parallel algorithms for computational geometry,IEEE Int. Conf. Parallel Processing, pp. 270–277 (1987).

  4. R. Cole, Parallel merge sort,IEEE Symp. Found. Comp. Sci., pp. 511–516 (1986).

  5. R. Cole and U. Vishkin, Faster optimal parallel prefix sums and list ranking,Ultracomputer Note 117, Comp. Sci. TR 277 (February 1987).

  6. M. Fisher and L. Ladner, Parallel prefix computation,J. ACM 27:831–838 (1980).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. H. Meijer and S. G. Akl, Optimal computation of prefix sums on a binary tree of processors,Int. J. Parallel Programming,16(2):127–136 (1987).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. H. N. Gabow, J. L. Bentley, and R. E. Tarjhan, Scaling and related techniques for geometric problems,ACM Symp. Theory of Computing, pp. 135–143 (1984).

  9. D. E. Wilard, New data structures for orthogonal range queries,SIAM J. Computing,14:232–253 (1985).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. B. Chazelle, Slimming down search structures: a functional approacht to algorithm design,IEEE Symp. Found. Comp. Sci., pp. 165–174 (1985).

  11. I. Bar-On and U. Vishkin, Optimal parallel generation of a computation tree forms,ACM Trans. Program. Lang. Syst.,7(2):384–357 (1985).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. D. Sarkar and N. Deo, Parallel algorithms for parenthesis matching and generation of random balanced sequences of parenthesis, CS-TR-87-03, Univ. of Central Florida, Orlando (1987).

  13. I. Stojmenović, Computational geometry on a hypercube,IEEE Int. Conf. Parallel Processing, pp. 100–103 (1988).

  14. R. Cyper (IBM San Hose) and C. G. Paxton (MIT Lab for CS), Deterministic sorting in nearly logarithmic time on the hypercube and related computers (1990).

  15. D. E. Knuth,The art of computer programming, I, Fundamental algorithms, Second edition, Addison-Wesley, Reading, Massachusetts (1973).

    Google Scholar 

  16. H. A. Burgdorff, S. Jajodia, F. N. Springsteel, and Y. Zalcstein, Alternative methods for the reconstruction of trees from their traversals,BIT,27(2):133–140 (1987).

    Google Scholar 

  17. G. H. Chen, M. S. Yu, and L. T. Liu, Two algorithms for constructing a binary tree from its traversals,Inform. Process. Lett.,28(6) (1988).

  18. E. Makinen, Constructing a binary tree from its transversals,BIT,29:572–575 (1989).

    Google Scholar 

  19. H. Urrutia, personal communication (1988).

  20. S. G. Akl, On the power of concurrent memory access, Computing and Information, (eds.), R. Janicki and W. W. Koczkodaj, North-Holland, Amsterdam, pp. 49–55 (1989).

    Google Scholar 

  21. S. G. Akl and G. R. Guenther, Broadcasting with selective reduction,Information Processing 89, Proc. of the IFIP 11th World Computer Congress, San Francisco, (ed.), G. X. Ritter, North-Holland, pp. 515–520 (1989).

  22. D. Nassimi and S. Sahni, Finding connected components and connected ones on a meshconnected parallel computer,SIAM J. Comput.,9(4):744–757 (1980).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. D. Nassimi and S. Sahni, Data broadcasting in SIMD computers,IEEE Trans. Comput.,C30(2):101–106 (1981).

    Google Scholar 

  24. C. D. Thompson and H. T. Kung, Sorting on a mesh-connected parallel computer,Comm. ACM,4(20):263–271 (1977).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. J. D. Ullman,Computational aspects of VLSI, Comp. Sci. Press, Potomac, Maryland (1984).

    Google Scholar 

  26. F. Dehne,O(√n) algorithms for the maximal elements and ECDF searching problem on a mesh-connected parallel computer,Inform. Process. Lett.,22:303–306 (1986).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. F. Dehne and I. Stojmenovic, AnO(√n) algorithm for the ECDF searching problem for arbitrary dimensions on a mesh of processors,Inform. Process. Lett.,28(2):67–70 (1988).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. E. Merks, An optimal parallel algorithm for triangulating a set of points in the plane.,Int. J. Parallel Programming,15(5):399–411 (1986).

    Google Scholar 

  29. T. Hikita, Listing and counting subtrees of equal size of a binnary tree,Inform. Process. Lett.,17:225–229 (1983).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. M. Solomon and R. A. Finkel, A note on enumearting binary trees,J. ACM,27:3–5 (1980).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. M. J. Atallah and S. E. Hambrusch, Solving tree problems on a mesh-connected processor array,Information and Control,69:1–3; 168–187 (1986).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

work partially supported by NSF IRI/8709726

work partially supported by NSERC.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Springsteel, F., Stojmenović, I. Parallel general prefix computations with geometric, algebraic, and other applications. Int J Parallel Prog 18, 485–503 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01381719

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01381719

Key Words

Navigation