Approximation Algorithms for the Incremental Knapsack Problem via Disjunctive Programming

In the incremental knapsack problem ($\IK$), we are given a knapsack whose capacity grows weakly as a function of time. There is a time horizon of $T$ periods and the capacity of the knapsack is $Bt$ in period $t$ for $t = 1, \ldots, T$. We are also given a set $S$ of $N$ items to be placed in the knapsack. Item $i$ has a value of $vi$ and a weight of $wi$ that is independent of the time period. At any time period $t$, the sum of the weights of the items in the knapsack cannot exceed the knapsack capacity $Bt$. Moreover, once an item is placed in the knapsack, it cannot be removed from the knapsack at a later time period. We seek to maximize the sum of (discounted) knapsack values over time subject to the capacity constraints. We first give a constant factor approximation algorithm for $\IK$, under mild restrictions on the growth rate of $B_t$ (the constant factor depends on the growth rate). We then give a PTAS for $\IIK$, the special case of $\IK$ with no discounting, when $T = O(\sqrt{\log N})$.