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Data Structure and Algorithms - BFS and DFS

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Data Structure and Algorithms - BFS and DFS

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Data Structure - Graph Data

Structure
A graph is an abstract data type (ADT) that consists of a set of
objects that are connected to each other via links. These objects
are called vertices and the links are called edges.

Usually, a graph is represented as G = {V, E}, where G is the


graph space, V is the set of vertices and E is the set of edges. If E
is empty, the graph is known as a forest.

Before we proceed further, let's familiarize ourselves with some


important terms −

 Vertex − Each node of the graph is represented as a vertex.


In the following example, the labelled circle represents
vertices. Thus, A to G are vertices. We can represent them
using an array as shown in the following image. Here A can
be identified by index 0. B can be identified using index 1
and so on.
 Edge − Edge represents a path between two vertices or a
line between two vertices. In the following example, the
lines from A to B, B to C, and so on represents edges. We
can use a two-dimensional array to represent an array as
shown in the following image. Here AB can be represented
as 1 at row 0, column 1, BC as 1 at row 1, column 2 and so
on, keeping other combinations as 0.
 Adjacency − Two node or vertices are adjacent if they are
connected to each other through an edge. In the following
example, B is adjacent to A, C is adjacent to B, and so on.
 Path − Path represents a sequence of edges between the
two vertices. In the following example, ABCD represents a
path from A to D.

Operations of Graphs
The primary operations of a graph include creating a graph with
vertices and edges, and displaying the said graph. However, one
of the most common and popular operation performed using
graphs are Traversal, i.e. visiting every vertex of the graph in a
specific order.

There are two types of traversals in Graphs −

 Depth First Search Traversal


 Breadth First Search Traversal

Depth First Search Traversal

Depth First Search is a traversal algorithm that visits all the


vertices of a graph in the decreasing order of its depth. In this
algorithm, an arbitrary node is chosen as the starting point and
the graph is traversed back and forth by marking unvisited
adjacent nodes until all the vertices are marked.

The DFS traversal uses the stack data structure to keep track of
the unvisited nodes.
Breadth First Search Traversal

Breadth First Search is a traversal algorithm that visits all the


vertices of a graph present at one level of the depth before
moving to the next level of depth. In this algorithm, an arbitrary
node is chosen as the starting point and the graph is traversed by
visiting the adjacent vertices on the same depth level and
marking them until there is no vertex left.

The DFS traversal uses the queue data structure to keep track of
the unvisited nodes.

Representation of Graphs
While representing graphs, we must carefully depict the elements
(vertices and edges) present in the graph and the relationship
between them. Pictorially, a graph is represented with a finite set
of nodes and connecting links between them. However, we can
also represent the graph in other most commonly used ways, like
−

 Adjacency Matrix
 Adjacency List
Adjacency Matrix

The Adjacency Matrix is a V×V matrix where the values are filled
with either 0 or 1. If the link exists between Vi and Vj, it is
recorded 1; otherwise, 0.

For the given graph below, let us construct an adjacency matrix −

The adjacency matrix is −

Adjacency List
The adjacency list is a list of the vertices directly connected to the
other vertices in the graph.

The adjacency list is −

Types of graph
There are two basic types of graph −

 Directed Graph
 Undirected Graph

Directed graph, as the name suggests, consists of edges that


possess a direction that goes either away from a vertex or
towards the vertex. Undirected graphs have edges that are not
directed at all.
Directed Graph

Undirected Graph

Spanning Tree
A spanning tree is a subset of an undirected graph that contains
all the vertices of the graph connected with the minimum number
of edges in the graph. Precisely, the edges of the spanning tree is
a subset of the edges in the original graph.

If all the vertices are connected in a graph, then there exists at


least one spanning tree. In a graph, there may exist more than
one spanning tree.

Properties

 A spanning tree does not have any cycle.


 Any vertex can be reached from any other vertex.

Example

In the following graph, the highlighted edges form a spanning


tree.
Minimum Spanning Tree
A Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) is a subset of edges of a
connected weighted undirected graph that connects all the
vertices together with the minimum possible total edge weight.
To derive an MST, Prim’s algorithm or Kruskal’s algorithm can be
used. Hence, we will discuss Prim’s algorithm in this chapter.

As we have discussed, one graph may have more than one

tree should have 𝒏−𝟏 number of edges. In this context, if each


spanning tree. If there are n number of vertices, the spanning

edge of the graph is associated with a weight and there exists


more than one spanning tree, we need to find the minimum
spanning tree of the graph.

Moreover, if there exist any duplicate weighted edges, the graph


may have multiple minimum spanning tree.
In the above graph, we have shown a spanning tree though it’s
not the minimum spanning tree. The cost of this spanning tree
is (5+7+3+3+5+8+3+4)=38.

Shortest Path
The shortest path in a graph is defined as the minimum cost route
from one vertex to another. This is most commonly seen in
weighted directed graphs but are also applicable to undirected
graphs.

A popular real-world application of finding the shortest path in a


graph is a map. Navigation is made easier and simpler with the
various shortest path algorithms where destinations are
considered vertices of the graph and routes are the edges. The
two common shortest path algorithms are −

 Dijkstra’s Shortest Path Algorithm


 Bellman Ford’s Shortest Path Algorithm

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