Challenge: Minimum Spanning Trees
Explore how to update a minimum spanning tree when the weight of an edge decreases. Learn to implement an algorithm that finds the heaviest edge on the path between two nodes using depth-first search, then updates the tree structure efficiently in Python.
We'll cover the following...
We'll cover the following...
Let's practice what we have learned so far.
Task
Suppose we are given both an undirected graph G with weighted edges and
a minimum spanning tree T of G.
Provide code to update the minimum spanning tree when the weight of a single edge e is decreased. We can follow the algorithm described below.
Logic building
Here’s the algorithm to update the minimum spanning tree when the weight of a single edge is decreased:
Algorithm
- Identify the two nodes and that the edge connects.
- Find the path in the minimum spanning tree that connects and