Applications of Maximum Flow

and Minimum Cut Problems

In this handout
• Transshipment problem
• Assignment Problem
 Transshipment Problem
 Given:Directed network G=(V, E)
Supply (source) nodes Si with supply amounts si, i=1,…,p
Demand (sink) nodes Di with demand amounts di, i=1,…,q
Total supply ≥ total demand
Capacity function u: E  R
 Goal: Find a feasible flow through the network which satisfies the
total demand (if such a flow exists).
 Ex.: 17
11 S 5 B 4 D 1
1
5 2
2
5
A
2
15 5
4
S 19 C 9 D2 8
16 2
Solving the Transshipment Problem via Maximum Flow
 The transshipment problem can be solved by creating and solving a related instance
of maximum flow problem:
◦ Create a supersource O. For each supply node Si, add an arc O  Si with
capacity equal to the supply amount of Si .
◦ Create a supersink T. For each demand node Di, add an arc Di  T with capacity
equal to the supply amount of Di .
◦ Find the maximum flow from O to T in the resulting auxiliary network.
◦ If maximum flow value = total demand
then the current maximum flow is a feasible flow for the transshipment problem,
else the transshipment problem is infeasible. 17
11 S 5 B 4 D
1
1
17
5 2
2
11 5 T
O 16 A
2
15 5 8
4
S2 19 C 9 D2 8
16
Solving the Transshipment Problem via Maximum Flow
 In our example,

◦ The maximum flow from O to T is obtained by applying the

Augmenting Path algorithm. The maximum flow value is 25.
The bold red numbers on the arcs show the flow values.
◦ Since the maximum flow value = 25 = 17+8 = total demand,
the current maximum flow is a feasible flow
for the transshipment problem.

17
11 S1 5 5 B 4 4 D1

9 5 2 17 17
2 2
11 5 T
1 13
O 16 2 A
2 2 8
16 15 5 8
4
S2 19 18 C 9 8 D2 8
16
 Assignment Problem
 Given: n people and n jobs
Each person can be assigned to exactly one job
Each job should be assigned to exactly one person
Person-job compatibility is given by a directed network
(e.g., having a link A  x means “person A can do job x ”)
 Goal: Find an assignment of n jobs to n people

(if such an assignment exists).

 Example:

people A B C D E

jobs x y z u v
Solving the Assignment Problem via Maximum Flow
 The assignment problem can be solved by creating and solving a related instance of
the transshipment problem:
◦ Each person-node is considered as a supply node with supply amount 1.
◦ Each job-node is considered as a demand node with demand amount 1.
◦ Assign capacity 1 to each arc.
◦ Solve the resulting transshipment problem by finding maximum flow in the
auxiliary network.
◦ If maximum flow value = n
then the current maximum flow gives a feasible assignment,
else the assignment problem is infeasible.

1 1 1 1 1
people A B C D E

jobs x y z u v
1 1 1 1 1
Solving the Assignment Problem via Maximum Flow
 In our example,

the red numbers on the arcs show the optimal flow values.
Since the maximum flow value is 5,
the assignment problem is feasible.
The feasible assignment is A  x , B  y, C  u , D  z , E  v .
O
1
1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1
people A B C D E
1 1 1
1
1
jobs x y z u v
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1
1
T
Showing the infeasibility of an assignment problem using
maximum-flow-based arguments
 Let’s solve the assignment problem below via maximum flow.

The red numbers on the arcs show the optimal flow values.
Since the maximum flow value = 5 < 6 = number of jobs,
the assignment problem is infeasible.
O
1 1 1
1 1
people A B C D E F

1 1 1 1
1
jobs x y z u v w

1 1 1
1 T 1
Showing the infeasibility of an assignment problem using
minimum-cut-based arguments
 The O-side of the minimum cut is {O, A, B, C, D, x, y, z} (the set of
the nodes that are reachable from O via augmenting paths)
 Return to the original network (delete nodes O and T and the arcs
incident to them).

O
1 1 1
1 1
people A B C D E F

1 1 1 1
1
jobs x y z u v w

1 1 1
1 T 1
Showing the infeasibility of an assignment problem using
minimum-cut-based arguments
 The capacity of the modified cut is 0 (since there are no arcs going
from O-side to T-side).
 There are 2 people (E, F) and 3 jobs (u, v, w) on T-side.
 Thus, one of the 3 jobs should be assigned

to a person from O-side (A, B, C, D).

 But there are no arcs going from O-side to T-side.

( A, B, C, D can’t do the jobs u, v, w).

 Thus, there is no way to assign the T-side jobs,

and the assignment problem is infeasible.

people A B C D E F

jobs x y z u v w