Abstract

Some of the problems that are used extensively in -real life are NP complete problems. There is no any algorithm which can give the optimal solution to NP complete problems in the polynomial time in the worst case. So researchers are applying their best efforts to design the approximation algorithms for these NP complete problems. Approximation algorithm gives the solution of a particular problem, which is close to the optimal solution of that problem. In this paper, a study on variants of vehicle routing problem is being done along with the difference in the approximation ratios of different approximation algorithms as being given by researchers and it is found that Researchers are continuously applying their best efforts to design new approximation algorithms which have better approximation ratio as compared to the previously existing algorithms.