A simple approximation algorithm for the graph burning problem

The graph burning problem is an NP-Hard optimization problem that may be used to model social contagion and the sequential spread of information on simple graphs. This paper introduces a simple approximation algorithm for the graph burning problem over general graphs. The approximation factor of this algorithm is 3-2/b(G), where b(G) is the size of an optimal solution. The proposed algorithm is based on farthest-first traversal, it is easy to implement, and according to a brief empirical analysis, it generates competitive solutions.