Graph Search Methods

• A vertex u is reachable from vertex v iff there

is a path from v to u.

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 Graph Search Methods
• A search method starts at a given vertex v and

visits/labels/marks every vertex that is

reachable from v.
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 Graph Search Methods
• Many graph problems are solved using a
search method.
 Path from one vertex to another.
 Is the graph connected?
 Find a spanning tree, etc.

• Commonly used search methods:

 Depth-first search(DFS).
 Breadth-first search(BFS).

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 Depth-First Search

dfs ( v )
{
Label vertex v as reached.
for (each unreached vertex u
adjacenct from v )
dfs( u );
}

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 Depth-First Search Example

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Start search at vertex 1.

Label vertex 1 and do a depth first search from either 2 or 4.

Suppose that vertex 2 is selected.

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 Depth-First Search Example

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Label vertex 2 and do a depth first search from either 3, 5, or 6.

Suppose that vertex 5 is selected.

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 Depth-First Search Example

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Label vertex 5 and do a depth first search from either 3, 7, or 9.

Suppose that vertex 9 is selected.

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 Depth-First Search Example

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Label vertex 9 and do a depth first search from either 6 or 8.

Suppose that vertex 8 is selected.

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 Depth-First Search Example

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Label vertex 8 and return to vertex 9.

From vertex 9 do a DFS(6).
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 Depth-First Search Example
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 Label vertex 6 and do a depth first search from either

4 or 7.
Suppose that vertex 4 is selected.
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 Depth-First Search Example

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Label vertex 4 and return to 6.

From vertex 6 do a dfs(7).

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 Depth-First Search Example

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Label vertex 7 and return to 6.

Return to 9.
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 Depth-First Search Example

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Return to 5.
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 Depth-First Search Example

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Do a dfs(3).
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 Depth-First Search Example

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Label 3 and return to 5.

Return to 2.
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 Depth-First Search Example

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Return to 1.
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 Depth-First Search Example

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Return to invoking method.

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Depth-First Search Property

All vertices reachable from the

start vertex (including the start

vertex) are visited.

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 Path From Vertex v To Vertex u
 Start a depth-first search at vertex v.

 Terminate when vertex u is visited or when dfs

ends (whichever occurs first).

 Time

 O(n2) when adjacency matrix used

 O(n+e) when adjacency lists used (e is number of

edges)
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 Is The Graph Connected?
 Start a depth-first search at any vertex of
the graph.
Graph is connected iff all n vertices get
visited.
Time
 O(n2) when adjacency matrix used
when adjacency lists used (e is
 O(n+e)
number of edges)
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 Connected Components

 Start a depth-first search at any as yet

unvisited vertex of the graph.

 Newly visited vertices (plus edges between

them) define a component.

 Repeat until all vertices are visited.

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 Connected Components

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 Time Complexity

 O(n2) when adjacency matrix used

 O(n+e) when adjacency lists used

(e is number of edges)

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 Spanning Tree

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Depth-first search from vertex 1.

Depth-first spanning tree.

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 Spanning Tree
 Start a depth-first search at any vertex of the
graph.
 If graph is connected, the n-1 edges used to
get to unvisited vertices define a spanning tree
(depth-first spanning tree).
 Time
 O(n2) when adjacency matrix used
 O(n+e) when adjacency lists used (e is
number of edges)

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 Breadth-First Search
Visit start vertex and put into a FIFO

queue.

Repeatedly remove a vertex from the

queue, visit its unvisited adjacent

vertices, put newly visited vertices into
the queue.
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 Breadth-First Search Example
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Start search at vertex 1.

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 Breadth-First Search Example

2 FIFO Queue
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Visit/mark/label start vertex and put in a FIFO queue.

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 Breadth-First Search Example

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FIFO Queue
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Remove 1 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited vertices;

put in Q.
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 Breadth-First Search Example

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Remove 1 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited vertices;

put in Q.
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 Breadth-First Search Example

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Remove 2 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited vertices;

put in Q.
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 Breadth-First Search Example

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FIFO Queue
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Remove 2 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited vertices;

put in Q.
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 Breadth-First Search Example

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Remove 4 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited vertices;

put in Q.
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 Breadth-First Search Example

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Remove 4 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited

vertices; put in Q.
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 Breadth-First Search Example

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Remove 5 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited

vertices; put in Q.
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 Breadth-First Search Example

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Remove 5 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited

vertices; put in Q.
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 Breadth-First Search Example

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FIFO Queue
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Remove 3 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited vertices;

put in Q.
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 Breadth-First Search Example

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Remove 3 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited

vertices; put in Q.
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 Breadth-First Search Example

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FIFO Queue
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Remove 6 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited vertices;

put in Q.

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 Breadth-First Search Example

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Remove 6 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited vertices;

put in Q.

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 Breadth-First Search Example

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Remove 9 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited vertices;

put in Q.

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 Breadth-First Search Example

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Remove 9 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited vertices;

put in Q.
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 Breadth-First Search Example

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Remove 7 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited vertices;

put in Q.

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 Breadth-First Search Example

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Remove 7 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited vertices;

put in Q.

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 Breadth-First Search Example

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FIFO Queue
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Remove 8 from Q; visit adjacent unvisited vertices;

put in Q.

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 Breadth-First Search Example

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Queue is empty. Search terminates.

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 Time Complexity

 Each visited vertex is put on (and so removed

from) the queue exactly once.
 When a vertex is removed from the queue,
we examine its adjacent vertices.
 O(n) if adjacency matrix used
 O(vertex degree) if adjacency lists used
 Total time
 O(mn), where m is number of vertices in
the component that is searched (adjacency
matrix)
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 Time Complexity

 O(n + sum of component vertex

degrees) (adj. lists)

= O(n + number of edges in

component)

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 Breadth-First Search Properties
 Same complexity as dfs.

 Same properties with respect to path finding,

connected components, and spanning trees.

 Edges used to reach unlabeled vertices define a

depth-first spanning tree when the graph is

connected.

 There are problems for which bfs is better than

dfs and vice versa.

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 BFS and DFS
• More suitable for finding the • More suitable for finding the
shortest path or the closest longest path or the farthest
node to the starting node in node from the starting node.
an unweighted graph • DFS is often used to find a
• Web Crawling: When path from the entrance to the
crawling websites or exit in a maze.
searching for resources in a • DFS can identify cycles in a
network, BFS is more suitable graph.
because it explores resources
at the current level (e.g., • DFS is used in AI algorithms,
webpages) before going such as game-playing
deeper, ensuring a algorithms (e.g., chess and tic-
systematic and tac-toe) and problem-solving
comprehensive search. agents, to explore possible
states or game trees.

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