Breadth-First Search
L0
A
L1
B C D
L2
E F
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Outline and Reading
Breadth-first search (§6.3.3) ([Link]. 313-
316)
◼ Algorithm
◼ Example
◼ Properties
◼ Analysis
◼ Applications
DFS vs. BFS (§6.3.3)
◼ Comparison of applications
◼ Comparison of edge labels
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Breadth-First Search
Breadth-first search BFS on a graph with n
(BFS) is a general vertices and m edges
technique for traversing takes O(n + m ) time
a graph
BFS can be further
A BFS traversal of a
graph G: extended to solve other
◼ Visits all the vertices and graph problems
edges of G ◼ Find and report a path
◼ Determines whether G is with the minimum
connected number of edges
◼ Computes the connected between two given
components of G vertices
◼ Computes a spanning ◼ Find a simple cycle, if
forest of G there is one
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BFS Steps
BFS divides all the vertices of a graph into various levels
Initially all edges and vertices are UNEXPLORED
Let start vertex be s
Mark s as EXPLORED and Place s in a list at level 0 (L0)
Initialize i as 0
Create an empty list Li+1
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BFS Steps
For every vertex v in list Li do
◼ For every edge (v,w) incident on v in G do
◼ If edge e is unexplored then
If vertex w is unexplored then
◼ Mark edge as discovery edge
◼ Mark w as EXPLORED and place the vertex into level
Li+1
Otherwise
◼ Mark edge as cross edge
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BFS Algorithm
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Example
L0
A
A unexplored vertex
A visited vertex L1
B C D
unexplored edge
discovery edge E F
cross edge
L0 L0
A A
L1 L1
B C D B C D
E F E F
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Example (cont.)
L0 L0
A A
L1 L1
B C D B C D
L2
E F E F
L0 L0
A A
L1 L1
B C D B C D
L2 L2
E F E F
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Example (cont.)
L0 L0
A A
L1 L1
B C D B C D
L2 L2
E F E F
L0
A
L1
B C D
L2
E F
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Properties
Notation A
Gs: connected component of s
Property 1 B C D
BFS(G, s) visits all the vertices and
edges of Gs
E F
Property 2
The discovery edges labeled by
BFS(G, s) form a spanning tree Ts of
L0
Gs A
Property 3
For each vertex v in Li L1
B C D
◼ The path of Ts from s to v has i
edges L2
◼ Every path from s to v in Gs has at E F
least i edges
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Applications
BFS traversal of a graph G can be used to
◼ Compute the connected components of G
◼ Compute a spanning forest of G
◼ Find a simple cycle in G, or report that G is a
forest
◼ Given two vertices of G, find a path in G between
them with the minimum number of edges, or
report that no such path exists
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DFS vs. BFS
Applications DFS BFS
Spanning forest, connected
components, paths, cycles
Shortest paths
Biconnected components
L0
A A
L1
B C D B C D
L2
E F E F
DFS BFS
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DFS vs. BFS (cont.)
Back edge (v,w) Cross edge (v,w)
◼ w is an ancestor of v in ◼ w is in the same level as
the tree of discovery v or in the next level in
edges the tree of discovery
edges
L0
A A
L1
B C D B C D
L2
E F E F
DFS BFS
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