Math Problem Statement

Find the MST

Find the MST

Solution

To find the Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) for the graph shown in the image, we will follow Kruskal's or Prim's algorithm. Here's a step-by-step explanation based on Kruskal’s algorithm:

Steps for Kruskal's Algorithm:

  1. List all edges and their weights:
    From the image, we can extract the edges and weights:

    a-b: 2, a-d: 2, a-e: 4, a-c: 5
    b-e: 4, b-c: 3
    c-f: 5, c-e: 3, c-g: 1
    d-e: 1, d-h: 4, d-i: 4
    e-h: 2, e-f: 3
    f-g: 2
    h-i: 2, h-g: 4
    
  2. Sort edges by weight (smallest to largest):

    d-e: 1, c-g: 1
    a-b: 2, a-d: 2, f-g: 2, h-i: 2, e-h: 2
    b-c: 3, c-e: 3, e-f: 3
    a-e: 4, d-h: 4, d-i: 4, h-g: 4, b-e: 4
    a-c: 5, c-f: 5
    
  3. Add edges to the MST ensuring no cycles are formed:

    • Start with the smallest edge:
      • Add d-e (1) to the MST.
      • Add c-g (1) to the MST.
    • Add edges with weight 2:
      • Add a-b (2) to the MST.
      • Add a-d (2) to the MST.
      • Add f-g (2) to the MST.
      • Add h-i (2) to the MST.
      • Add e-h (2) to the MST.
    • At this point, all nodes are connected, and we stop adding edges.
  4. MST edges:

    d-e, c-g, a-b, a-d, f-g, h-i, e-h
    
  5. Total weight of MST:

    1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 12
    

Final MST:

The Minimum Spanning Tree includes the edges:

  • ded-e, cgc-g, aba-b, ada-d, fgf-g, hih-i, ehe-h
    with a total weight of 12.

Would you like me to explain Prim's algorithm for this graph or provide a visual representation? Let me know!

Related Questions:

  1. What is the difference between Kruskal's and Prim's algorithms for MST?
  2. How does the choice of starting node affect Prim's algorithm?
  3. Can we solve this MST problem using adjacency matrix representation?
  4. What is the time complexity of Kruskal’s algorithm in this scenario?
  5. How would adding or removing an edge impact the MST of this graph?

Tip: Always double-check for cycles when applying Kruskal’s algorithm to avoid including unnecessary edges.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Graph Theory
Minimum Spanning Tree
Kruskal's Algorithm

Formulas

Sorting edges by weight
Union-Find (for cycle detection in Kruskal's algorithm)

Theorems

Greedy Algorithm

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 9-12