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15-111 Lecture 30 (Monday, April 6, 2009)

Kruskal's Algorithm

Now that we've discussed Prim's Algorithm, we are going to discuss a second approach for solving the same problem. This approach is also a greedy algorithm.

Although the implementation is a bit more complex, the basic algorithm is very straight-forward. We simple attempt to add each edge from the original graph to the minimum spanning tree, beginning with the lowest-weight edge and finishing with the greatest-weight edge. We add the edge if it doesn't cause a cycle and passs it up, if it does. We continue to add edges, until we've added N-1 edges, where N is the number of verticies. Remember, spanning trees have exactly N-1 edges -- never more, never less.

This works for more-or-less the same reason that Prim's Algorithm works. We need to add n-1 edges to the graph. Adding the smallest n-1 legal edges to the graph is guaranteed to give us the spanning tree with the least aggregate weight. Since we don't add an edge if it creates a cycle, we know we'll have a tree. Since we add exactly n-1 edges, we know that it will be a spanning tree -- one less and it would be disjoint trees, one more and it would be a more general graph with a cycle. And, since we add the smallest such edges, we know it has the lowest total weight. And, it all works out, because it is never the case that adding a more costly edge earlier would prevent a cycle allowing the addition of super-cheap edges later.

In order to make it easy to select the candidates in the right order, from the lowest weight to the highest weight, we store the edges in a priority queue (heap). Then, selecting an edge is simply the deleteMin() operation.

Another way of viewing the algorithm is to views the inital configuration as a forrest of trees, with each vertex in its own, independent tree. If we take this view, then adding an edge merges two trees into one. When Kruskal's terminates, there is only one tree - the minimum spanning tree.

Let's take a look at the algorithm in operation, using the same graph as we used last class:

The following table shows the verticies sorted by weight and whetehr or not each vertex was accepted. Remember, we evaluate each vertex, one-at-a-time, from the top of this list down. In a real implemention, we would have added them to a heap, and be using deleteMin() to get to the top one for each iteration.

Edge Weight Action
(1,4) 1 Accepted
(6,7) 1 Accepted
(1,2) 2 Accepted
(3,4) 2 Accepted
(2,4) 3 Rejected
(1,3) 4 Rejected
(4,7) 4 Accepted
(3,6) 5 Rejected
(5,7) 6 Accepted

Using Sets to Detect Cycles

So, how can we figure out if adding a particular edge to a tree will create a cycle? This is very important to Kruskal's Algorithm, because we only add an edge, if doing so won't create a cycle.

Imagine that each vertex in a graph is its own set (remember the Set class you created for the lab?).

If you connect two vertices in the same set together, you'll create a cycle. As long as you connect vertices from two different sets, you won't create a cycle. A and B are in different sets. I'll connect them.

Now AB is a set. Can I connect C to AB? C and AB are in different sets, I'll connect them. Now I have a set called ABC.

Can I connect C to B? C and B are in the same set, so connecting them will create a cycle.

Union-Find

Earlier this semester, we created a Set class using LinkedLists. This class supported a very broad array of Set operations. But, for this particular problem, we only need to do two things: look in a set to see if an item is there (find) and unite two sets (union). And, since the Set lab, we've learned about trees, which added a powerful tool to our kit. Let's see how we can use trees to represent sets in a way that leads to efficient Union and Find operations.

Again, imagine a graph, with each vertex as its own set. Now imagine that each set of vertices is a tree. So before we connect any edges, each vertex is its own tree, and the graph is a forest of trees.

We'll use an array to represent the trees. Create an array, with each index of the array representing the corresponding vertex of the graph. Place a sentinel value, -1, into each array element. We will use this sentinel value to denote the root of the tree. Before we connect any edges, each vertex is its own tree, so its the root. -1 represents the root of the tree set.

  0    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
  [-1] [-1] [-1] [-1] [-1] [-1] [-1] [-1]
  

Now I decide to connect 7 to 1. They are in different sets, so I connect them.

  0    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
  [-1] [-1] [-1] [-1] [-1] [-1] [-1] [ 1]
  

The parent of 7 is now 1, and 7 is no longer the root of the tree. If we want to find 7's parent, we simply look at its value, which is 1. To find 1's parent, we look at its value, which is -1, indicating that 1 has no parent and is the root of the tree.

Now I decide to connect 2 to 1. They are in different sets, so I connect them.

  0    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
  [-1] [-1] [ 1] [-1] [-1] [-1] [-1] [ 1]
  

Now I decide to connect 0 to 7. They are in different sets, so I connect them.

  0    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
  [ 7] [-1] [ 1] [-1] [-1] [-1] [-1] [ 1]
  

I want to connect 4 to 6. They are in different sets, so I connect them.

  0    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
  [ 7] [-1] [ 1] [-1] [ 6] [-1] [-1] [ 1]
  

I want to connect 5 to 6. They are in different sets, so I connect them.

  0    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
  [ 7] [-1] [ 1] [-1] [ 6] [ 6] [-1] [ 1]
  

Note that connect 4 to 5 would now create a cycle.

I want to connect 1 to 4. They are in different sets, so I connect them.

  0    1    2    3    4    5    6    7
  [ 7] [ 4] [ 1] [-1] [ 6] [ 6] [-1] [ 1]
  

How do you find out what set a particular vertex of the graph belongs to? You simply follow its ancestors up until you find an array element with a value of -1. At this point, all vertices except 3 are in the same set -- 6. 6 is the only element with a value of -1. Vertex 6 is the root of the tree consisting of all of the vertices in the graph.

The operation that connects to vertices by changing the array element value of one to be the other is called union. The operation that finds the root of a particular vertex's tree is called find.