A new algorithm for packing unequal disks in a larger circle

To set unequal disks in a container as small as possible without overlap is a fairly fascinating NP-hard task with wide applications. In this paper, we introduced a new method using the techniques of Tabu search, quasi-human basin-hopping strategy, and BFGS method as its basic elements, and illustrated its efficiency by comparing its outcomes of solving some benchmark problems with those of some other new and efficient algorithms.