Chapter 4. Graph problems
A graph is an abstract mathematical construct that is used for modeling a real-world problem by dividing the problem into a set of connected nodes. We call each of the nodes a vertex and each of the connections an edge. For instance, a subway map can be thought of as a graph representing a transportation network. Each of the dots represents a station, and each of the lines represents a route between two stations. In graph terminology, we would call the stations “vertices” and the routes “edges.”
Why is this useful? Not only do graphs help us abstractly think about a problem, they also let us apply several well-understood and performant search and optimization techniques. For instance, in the subway example, suppose ...
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