Competitive group testing

Abstract

Let MA(n,d) denote the maximum number of group tests for a group testing algorithm A to identify d defectives from a set of n items when d is known, and let MA(n{divides}d) denote the number when d is unknown. Define M(n,d) = minA MA(n,d). An algorithm A is called a competitive algorithm if there exist constants c and a such that for all n > d ≥ 0, MA(n{divides}d) ≤ cM(n,d) + a. In this paper, we present some competitive group testing algorithms. © 1993.