{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,22]],"date-time":"2025-10-22T23:35:30Z","timestamp":1761176130004,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"IOS Press","isbn-type":[{"value":"9781643686318","type":"electronic"}],"license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,21]],"date-time":"2025-10-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761004800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,21]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Given the assumption that a user\u2019s preference relation, on a finite set of alternatives, is in a particular family of preference relations, we consider the problem of how many queries are required to determine sufficient information about the preference relation that an alternative can be returned that is optimal for the user. We focus especially on queries based on comparisons between two alternatives and related forms of query. We consider both a fixed version of this problem, where the user is given a questionnaire (or batch of queries), and is asked to answer them all; and a dynamic, i.e., interactive, version, where the choice of query can depend on previous answers. We derive upper and lower bounds for the numbers of queries required, and give preference families that achieve these bounds; and we determine the solution of the batch problem for linear preference families.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3233\/faia250847","type":"book-chapter","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,22]],"date-time":"2025-10-22T09:44:00Z","timestamp":1761126240000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["On the Number of Queries Required to Determine an Optimal Alternative"],"prefix":"10.3233","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1874-8255","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nic","family":"Wilson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Insight Centre for Data Analytics, School of Computer Science and IT, University College Cork, Ireland"}]}],"member":"7437","container-title":["Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications","ECAI 2025"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/ebooks.iospress.nl\/pdf\/doi\/10.3233\/FAIA250847","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,22]],"date-time":"2025-10-22T09:44:00Z","timestamp":1761126240000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/ebooks.iospress.nl\/doi\/10.3233\/FAIA250847"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,21]]},"ISBN":["9781643686318"],"references-count":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3233\/faia250847","relation":{},"ISSN":["0922-6389","1879-8314"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0922-6389","type":"print"},{"value":"1879-8314","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,21]]}}}