Time-Dependent Scheduling

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Time-Dependent Scheduling

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TScheduling problems, in general, consist in the allocation of resources over time in order to perform a set of jobs. Any allocation that meets all requirements concerning the jobs and resources is called a feasible schedule. The quality of a schedule is measured by a criterion function. The aim of scheduling is to ?nd, among all feasible schedules, a schedule that optimizes the criterion function. A solution to an arbitrary scheduling problem consists in giving a polynomial-time algorithm generating either an optimal schedule or a schedule that is close to the optimal one, if the given scheduling problem has been proved to be computationally intractable. The scheduling problems are subject of interest of the scheduling theory, originated in mid-?fties of the twentieth century. The theory has been developing dynamically and new research areas constantly come into existence. The subject of this book, ti- dependent scheduling, is one of such areas. In time-dependent scheduling, the processing time of a job is variable and depends on the starting time of the job. This crucial assumption allows us to apply the scheduling theory to a broader spectrum of problems. For example, in the framework of the time-dependent scheduling theory we may consider the problems of repayment of multiple loans, ?re ?ghting and maintenance assignments. In this book, we will discuss algorithms and complexity issues concerning various time-dependent scheduling problems.