Forming groups as nearly equal in sums as possible

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on solving the subset sum problem, specifically forming groups of numbers with nearly equal sums. The user is working with a dataset generated in R using the command x <- as.integer(runif(100, 250, 500)). The optimal approach involves utilizing the subsetsum function from the adagio library in R to iteratively achieve the closest possible group sums. This method allows for effective partitioning of the dataset into four groups with minimal variance in their sums.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of R programming language
  • Familiarity with the concept of the subset sum problem
  • Knowledge of the adagio library in R
  • Basic principles of iterative algorithms
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore the adagio library documentation for advanced functions
  • Learn about dynamic programming techniques for solving the subset sum problem
  • Investigate alternative algorithms for partitioning problems in R
  • Study performance optimization techniques for large datasets in R
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Data scientists, R programmers, and anyone interested in solving partitioning problems or optimizing group sums in numerical datasets.

treesloth
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Hello. I'm not sure what type of problem this is that I'm trying to solve. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Suppose you have a list of numbers and you want to form them into, say, 4 groups such that the sum of each group is, as nearly as possible, equal to the sums of each of the other groups; basically, making groups with equal sums without regard to the number of elements in each. Is there a way to do that with certainty that the groups are as close as possible given the elements available? If not, is there a way to iteratively approach an optimal grouping? I'm just using a made-up dataset in R generated via:

Code: 
x <- as.integer(runif(100, 250, 500))

Thanks in advance.
 
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After some more research, this is a subset sum problem, or, in some cases, partitioning. It can be addressed using iterations of the R subsetsum function in the adagio library.
 

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