{"paper":{"title":"Approximating the diameter of a graph","license":"http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/","headline":"","cross_cats":["cs.CC"],"primary_cat":"cs.DS","authors_text":"Liam Roditty, Virginia Vassilevska Williams","submitted_at":"2012-07-16T10:25:13Z","abstract_excerpt":"In this paper we consider the fundamental problem of approximating the diameter $D$ of directed or undirected graphs. In a seminal paper, Aingworth, Chekuri, Indyk and Motwani [SIAM J. Comput. 1999] presented an algorithm that computes in $\\Ot(m\\sqrt n + n^2)$ time an estimate $\\hat{D}$ for the diameter of an $n$-node, $m$-edge graph, such that $\\lfloor 2/3 D \\rfloor \\leq \\hat{D} \\leq D$. In this paper we present an algorithm that produces the same estimate in $\\Ot(m\\sqrt n)$ expected running time. We then provide strong evidence that a better approximation may be hard to obtain if we insist o"},"claims":{"count":0,"items":[],"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"source":{"id":"1207.3622","kind":"arxiv","version":1},"verdict":{"id":null,"model_set":{},"created_at":null,"strongest_claim":"","one_line_summary":"","pipeline_version":null,"weakest_assumption":"","pith_extraction_headline":""},"references":{"count":0,"sample":[],"resolved_work":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57","internal_anchors":0},"formal_canon":{"evidence_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"author_claims":{"count":0,"strong_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"builder_version":"pith-number-builder-2026-05-17-v1"}