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Distinct Edge Weights

Explore the concept of distinct edge weights in connected, undirected graphs and how they guarantee a unique minimum spanning tree. Learn a tie-breaking algorithm to handle equal weights and understand the proof of uniqueness. This lesson helps you grasp critical properties of weighted graphs essential for minimum spanning tree algorithms.

Suppose we are given a connected, undirected, weighted graph. This is a graph G=(V,E)G = (V, E) together with a function w:ERw: E \rightarrow \mathbb{R} that assigns a real weight w(e)w(e) to each edge ee, which may be positive, negative, or zero. This chapter describes several algorithms to find the minimum spanning tree of G\bold{G}, that is, the spanning tree TT that minimizes the function

w(T):=e ε Tw(e).w(T):=\underset{e \space\varepsilon\space T}{\sum}w(e). ...