Online Interval Selection with Binary Predictions: Optimal Consistency and a Continuous Robustness Tradeoff

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Abstract

We study online interval selection with binary predictions of membership in a final optimal solution. Requests arrive in arbitrary order; accepted requests may be revoked, but rejected or revoked requests cannot be recovered. With rewards proportional to interval length, the best consistency under finite strict robustness is $d=(3+\sqrt5)/2$ when both guarantees hold almost surely on each fixed input, including for randomized algorithms. A continuous lower bound forces consistency strictly above $d$ at every robustness budget below $4\varphi+3\approx9.472$, whereas our deterministic algorithm attains $d$ with exact robustness $\varphi^5\approx11.090$, where $\varphi=(1+\sqrt5)/2$. Each held interval inherits a ledger recording positive prediction mass lost through irrevocable decisions. A tunable replacement cost gives a continuous family with exact consistency throughout and exact robustness on two parameter intervals, including $(C,R)=(25/9,10)$ and $(4,7)$. Randomization permits expected consistency approaching one with finite expected robustness, whereas almost-sure robustness forces expected consistency strictly above two at every finite budget.

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