Transcript Relations
Paths and Circuits
Lecture 52
Section 11.2
Wed, Apr 26, 2006
The Seven Bridges of
Königsberg
In the city of Königsberg, two branches of
the Pregel River came together, with an
island at their junction.
The Seven Bridges of
Königsberg
There were seven bridges crossing the
river at various places.
The Seven Bridges of
Königsberg
The challenge was to start at one point,
cross each bridge exactly once, and return
to the starting point.
?
Euler’s Solution
Euler abstracted the bridges as a graph
with four vertices and seven edges.
Euler’s Solution
Each vertex represents a land mass and
each edge represents a bridge.
North Shore
Island
South Shore
Peninsula
Walks and Paths
A walk from vertex v to vertex w is a finite
alternating sequence of adjacent vertices
and edges from v to w:
v0 e1 v1 e2 … en – 1 vn – 1 en vn,
where v0 = v and vn = w.
A path from v to w is a walk that does not
repeat any edge.
Walks and Paths
A simple path is a path that does not repeat
any vertices.
A closed walk is a walk that starts and ends
at the same vertex.
A circuit is a closed path.
A simple circuit is a circuit that does not
repeat any vertex.
Synopsis
walk = from A to B, no restrictions.
path = walk, no repeated edge.
closed = from A to A.
circuit = closed walk.
simple = no repeated vertex.
Euler Circuits
An Euler circuit is a circuit that contains
every vertex and every edge of the graph.
The problem of the Seven Bridges of
Königsberg is to find an Euler circuit.
Connected Graphs
A graph is connected if, for every pair of
vertices v and w, there is a walk from v to
w.
A connected component of a graph is a
maximal connected subgraph.
Euler’s Solution
Theorem: A graph has an Euler circuit if
and only if it is connected and every vertex
has even degree.
Thus, an Euler circuit over the Seven
Bridges of Königsberg does not exist.
The Two Bridges of Ashland
At Randolph-Macon College, they have
been trying to solve the Two Bridges of
Ashland problem for decades.
?
King’s Dominion
I-95
RMC
Proof
Proof ():
Suppose a graph G has an Euler circuit.
Let v V(G).
Then as we travel the circuit, each time we
pass through v, we “use up” two of the
edges incident to v.
When we finish the circuit, we have used all
the edges incident to v.
Proof
Thus, v had an even number of edges.
Obviously, G must be connected.
Proof
Proof ():
Now suppose that G is connected and that
every vertex of G has even degree.
Choose a vertex v at which to begin.
deg(v) > 0 since G is connected, so follow
one of the edges incident to v.
Let w be the next vertex.
We used one of w’s edges to get there.
Proof
w has even degree, so there is at least one
more edge available that we can follow.
This happens at every vertex that we visit.
Thus, the circuit is forced to terminate only
when we return to the starting vertex v.
This procedure alone does not necessarily
produce an Euler circuit.
Proof
Suppose there are edges that were not
used.
Follow the original circuit until a vertex is
reached that is incident to one of the
unused edges.
Apply the original procedure to produce a
circuit that starts and ends at this vertex.
“Splice” it into the original circuit.
Proof
Continue in this way, splicing circuits into
the existing circuit, until there are no
unused edges remaining.
The result is an Euler circuit.
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Euler Paths
Theorem: A graph G has an Euler path
from v to w if G is connected, v and w have
odd degree, and all other vertices have
even degree.
Proof:
Add an edge from v to w.
Then the graph has an Euler circuit.
Remove the new edge from the circuit.
Hamiltonian Circuits
A Hamiltonian circuit is a simple circuit that
includes every vertex of the graph.
The Traveling Salesman Problem seeks a
Hamiltonian circuit of minimal length.
Hamiltonian Circuits
Theorem: If a graph G has a nontrivial
Hamiltonian circuit, then G has a subgraph
H such that
V(H) = V(G).
H is connected.
|E(H)| = |V(G)|.
deg(v) = 2 for all v V(H).
These conditions are necessary, but not
sufficient.
Hamiltonian Circuits
The following graph does not have a
Hamiltonian circuit.