symmetry definitions for constraint satisfaction problems dave cohen, peter jeavons, chris...
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Symmetry Definitions for Symmetry Definitions for Constraint Satisfaction ProblemsConstraint Satisfaction Problems
Dave Cohen, Peter Jeavons, Chris Jefferson, Karen Petrie and Barbara Smith
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Symmetry Symmetry • Symmetry in CSPs has been an active
research area for several years• e.g. SymCon workshops at the CP conferences
since 2001
• But researchers define symmetry in CSPs in different ways• are they defining different things?
• A symmetry of a CSP is a transformation of the CSP that leaves some property of the CSP unchanged• what does the symmetry act on? • what property does it leave unchanged?
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• xi =j if the queen in row i is in column j • Symmetries can act on the variables:
• xi =j → x6-i =j
• or the values
• xi =j → xi =6-j
• or both
• xi =j → xj =i
• To cover all these, we define symmetries as acting on assignments, i.e. variable–value pairs
Symmetries of 5−queensSymmetries of 5−queens
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What property is preserved?What property is preserved?
• A symmetry of a CSP P is a permutation of the variable-value pairs that preserves the solutions of P
• A symmetry of a CSP P is a permutation of the variable-value pairs that preserves the constraints of P• and hence also preserves the solutions of P
• These are not equivalent
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What property is preserved?What property is preserved?
• A solution symmetry of a CSP P is a permutation of the variable-value pairs that preserves the solutions of P
• A constraint symmetry of a CSP P is a permutation of the variable-value pairs that preserves the constraints of P• and hence also preserves the solutions of P
• These are not equivalent
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Microstructure ComplementMicrostructure Complement• A hypergraph with
• a vertex for every variable-value pair
• an edge for any pair of vertices representing assignments to the same variable
• a hyperedge for any set of vertices representing a tuple forbidden by a constraint
w,1
w,0
x,0y,0
z,1
z,0
y,1 x,1
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Definition of Constraint SymmetryDefinition of Constraint Symmetry
• An automorphism of a (hyper)graph is a bijection on the vertices that preserves the (hyper)edges
• We define a constraint symmetry as an automorphism of the microstructure complement • (w,0 w,1) (y,0 y,1) (z,0 z,1)• (y,0 z,1) (y,1 z,0)• (w,0 w,1) (y,0 z,0) (y,1 z,1)• identity
• i.e. a bijection on the variable-value pairs that preserves the constraints
w,1
w,0
x,0
y,0
z,1
z,0
y,1
x,1
w,1
w,0
x,0y,0
z,1
z,0
y,1 x,1
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Solution Symmetries and Constraint SymmetriesSolution Symmetries and Constraint Symmetries
• The constraint symmetries of a CSP are a subgroup of the solution symmetries
• There can be many more solution symmetries than constraint symmetries• e.g. if a CSP has no solution, any permutation of the
variable-value pairs is a solution symmetry
• 4-queens has two solutions• we can see what permutations
of the variable-value pairs will preserve the solutions
• any permutation of x1 ,2, x2 ,4, x3 ,1, x4 ,3 is a solution symmetry
• .. and many more
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The k-ary nogood hypergraph The k-ary nogood hypergraph • A k-ary nogood is an assignment to k
variables that cannot be extended to a solution
• The k-ary nogood hypergraph has the same vertices as the microstructure and a (hyper) edge for every m-ary nogood (m ≤ k)
• The solution symmetry group of a k-ary CSP is the automorphism group of the k-ary nogood hypergraph • e.g. in a binary CSP, we need only consider
the binary and unary nogoods to find all the solution symmetries
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Solution Symmetries of 4-queensSolution Symmetries of 4-queens
• The complement of the binary nogood graph has two cliques, one for each solution
• Some automorphisms:• permuting the isolated
vertices • permuting either clique
independently
• There are 46m. solution symmetries• but 8 constraint
symmetries
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ImplicationsImplications• Finding constraint symmetries automatically is
difficult • symmetries depend on how the constraints are
expressed• often the microstructure is far too big to construct
• more compact representations can be used sometimes• checking a proposed constraint symmetry is easier
• don’t need to construct the microstructure
• Finding all solution symmetries automatically seems pointless• we need the solutions!
• Use nogoods found during search? • add them (& symmetric equivalents) to the
microstructure complement • find the new symmetry group • use that during the remaining search
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ConclusionsConclusions• Symmetry in CSPs has been defined in different ways:
• preserving the solutions• preserving the constraints (and therefore the solutions)
• There can be far more solution symmetries than constraint symmetries• we have shown the relationship between them
• To identify symmetries, people often think of transformations that preserve the solutions• …but we think you are identifying constraint symmetry!
• Defining symmetry appropriately is crucial if we want to find symmetries automatically
THE END