What type of graph representation is most efficient for Dijkstra's algorithm?
Practice Questions
Q1
What type of graph representation is most efficient for Dijkstra's algorithm?
Adjacency matrix
Adjacency list
Edge list
Incidence matrix
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What type of graph representation is most efficient for Dijkstra's algorithm?
Step 1: Understand what Dijkstra's algorithm does. It finds the shortest path from one node to all other nodes in a graph.
Step 2: Know that a graph can be represented in different ways, such as an adjacency list or an adjacency matrix.
Step 3: Learn what an adjacency list is. It is a way to represent a graph where each node has a list of its neighboring nodes.
Step 4: Understand what an adjacency matrix is. It is a 2D array where rows and columns represent nodes, and the values indicate if there is a connection between them.
Step 5: Compare the two representations. An adjacency list uses less space and allows quicker access to neighbors, especially in sparse graphs (graphs with fewer edges).
Step 6: Conclude that for Dijkstra's algorithm, an adjacency list is generally more efficient because it helps find neighboring nodes faster.