Project work 1: Minimum length experimentation scheme - I

Tej Vohra

1st February 2010

Abstract 5. Exchange the elements of the first two parame-

Consider that a software has n parameters suscepti-
ble to failure, with each parameter being either 1 or
0. Testing needs to be done only for two parameters
at a time. The task is to design an algorithm so
that the table describing the experimentation scheme
considering all cases for any two parameters, chosen
arbitrarily, is of minimum length
If for the above task, brute force is used, the table
length will be n C2 × 4. This is because for two
parameters there will be 4 cases namely:
ters leaving the others as it is. In next row, re-
vert the first two parameters and exchange the
third and the fourth parameters and so on. It is
clear that there will be n/2 such steps.
(Each iteration takes care all the remaining
cases. For eg. the exchange of elements be-
tween the first and the second parameters fixes
a case for the first and the third, the second and
the fourth, the third and the fifth etc pairs. The
exchange of elements between the third and the
fourth parameters fixes a case for the first and
fourth, second and fifth parameters and so on.)

X Y
So the table size will be 4 + n/2.
0 0
Let us look at n = 4 and 6 and see if the conjecture
0 1
holds.
1 0
1. n = 4 so table size = 4 + 2 = 6
1 1
nC
2 × 4 can also be a very large number. If n = 4, A B C D
then there are 24 = 16 entries possible and (4 C2 ×4 = 0 0 0 0
24), is larger than 16. However there is a reduction 1 1 1 1
in table length as n increases, but computationally
1 0 1 0
it is still very expensive. So the need is to find an
0 1 0 1
algorithm which can reduce the table length sizeably.
(AB, BC, CD, AD all cases satisfied)
So an attempt has been made by the author to devise
1 0 0 1
an algorithm based on observations on several trial
0 1 1 0
and error attempts. The idea used is to remove as
(BD,AC all cases satisfied)
many redundant (repeating) entries as possible from
the table.
2. n = 6 so table size = 4 + 3 = 7
1 Case 1: n even
A B C D E F
Algorithm 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1 1 1
1. Take all ones (Takes care of the ’(1,1)’ case)
1 0 1 0 1 0
2. Take all zeroes (Takes care of the ’(0,0)’ case) 0 1 0 1 0 1
(AB, BC, BE)
3. Take alternating values, i.e. If first entry is 0,
1 0 0 1 0 1
then second entry is 1 and so on. And the inverse
(DE, AC)
if first element is 0. (Takes care of the (1,0) or
0 1 1 0 0 1
(0,1) case of adjacent pairs)
(AE, CE, DF )
4. Invert the above row, i.e. make all 1’s 0’sw and 0 1 0 1 1 0
all 0’s 1’s. (Takes care of the (0,1) or (1,0) case (AF, CD, BD,
of adjacent pairs) AD,CF, BF, EF)

1
2 Case 2: n odd 2. n = 7 so table size = 4 + 3 = 7

Algorithm A B C D E F G
0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1. Take all ones OR All ones (Takes care of the 0 1 1 1 1 1 1
’(1,1)’ or ’(0,0)’ case) 1 0 1 0 1 0 1
1 1 0 1 0 1 0
2. Keep first element as it is and invert the rest (AB, AC, AD, AE, AF,
AG, BC, BE, BG, CD,
CF, DG, DE, EF, FG)
3. Invert the 1st element and arrange accordingly
the other elements as 0’s and 1’s alternatively. x 0 1 1 0 1 0
Accordingly implies that if the 1st element is 0 x 1 0 0 1 1 0
then the 2nd element is 1 and the 3rd element is (BD, CE)
0 and so on and if the 1st element is 1 then the x 1 0 1 0 0 1
2nd one is 0 and the 3rd one is 1 and so on. (BF, CG, DF, EG)

4. Repeat step 2 (At the end of this all the cases Similarly the author successfully tested cases of
concerning the first parameter would have been 16 and 17 using the above mentioned algorithms on
satisfied ) paper (But as typing is painfull, these cases are not
included in this manuscript. But they can be easily
5. Now the first element is ’Don’t Care’. For the reconstructed whenever required)
remaining (n − 1) even number of pairs arranged
alternatively as 1 and 0 perform step no.5 of al-
gorithm with even n. That is : However, there are a few problems that need to be
Exchange the elements of the first two parame- sorted out for the above mentioned algorithm.
ters leaving the others as it is. In next row, re-
vert the first two parameters and exchange the 1. We need to prove that the steps perform the
third and the fourth parameters and so on. It is functions that it is mentioned to be doing
clear that there will be n/2 such steps.
2. We also need to prove that 4 + n/2 is the mini-
(Each iteration takes care all the remaining
mum number of steps.
cases. For eg. the exchange of elements be-
tween the first and the second parameters fixes 3. It is developed in accordance with the constraint
a case for the first and the third, the second and that each parameter belongs to the binary field
the fourth, the third and the fifth etc pairs. The and only two parameters are taken at a time.
exchange of elements between the third and the A generalized algorithm will have to satisfy n
fourth parameters fixes a case for the first and parameters with r of them taken togather and
fourth, second and fifth parameters and so on.) each parameter comes from a q dimensional field
i.e. Fq
So the table size will be 4 + (n − 1)/2.

Let us look at n = 5 and 7 and see if the con-

jecture holds.
1. n = 5 so table size = 4 + 2 = 6

A B C D E
0 0 0 0 0
0 1 1 1 1
1 0 1 0 1
1 1 0 1 0
(AB, AC, AD, AE,
BE, BC, CD, DE)
x 1 0 0 1
x 0 1 1 0
(BD,CE)