The document discusses various parallel algorithms for combinatorial optimization problems. It covers topics like branch and bound, backtracking, divide and conquer, and greedy methods. Branch and bound is described as a general algorithm that uses pruning to discard subsets of solutions that are provably not optimal. Backtracking systematically searches the solution space but abandons partial candidates ("backtracks") when it determines they cannot be completed. Divide and conquer works by recursively breaking problems into independent subproblems until simple enough to solve directly. Greedy algorithms make locally optimal choices at each step to hopefully find a global optimum.