Boole's Probability Bounding Problem, Linear Programming Aggregations, and Nonnegative Quadratic Pseudo-Boolean Functions

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Boros, Endre; Lee, Joonhee
• 署名单位: Rutgers University System; Rutgers University New Brunswick; Rutgers University System; Rutgers University New Brunswick; Pace University
• 刊物名称: MATHEMATICS OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0364-765X
• DOI: 10.1287/moor.2023.0019
• 发表日期: 2025
• 关键词: finite union; cut cone; inequalities; facets; events

摘要

Hailperin (1965) introduced a linear programming formulation to a difficult family of problems, originally proposed by Boole (1854, 1868). Hailperin's model is computationally still difficult and involves an exponential number of variables (in terms of a typical input size for Boole's problem). Numerous papers provided efficiently computable bounds for the minimum and maximum values of Hailperin's model by using aggregation that is a monotone linear mapping to a lower dimensional space. In many cases the image of the positive orthant is a subcone of the positive orthant in the lower dimensional space, and thus including some of the defining inequalities of this subcone can tighten up such an aggregation model, and lead to better bounds. Improving on some recent results, we propose a hierarchy of aggregations for Hailperin's model and a generic approach for the analysis of these aggregations. We obtain complete polyhedral descriptions of the above mentioned subcones and obtain significant improvements in the quality of the bounds.