In a graph, if you want to check for cycles, which traversal method is more suit
Practice Questions
Q1
In a graph, if you want to check for cycles, which traversal method is more suitable?
BFS
DFS
Both are equally suitable
Neither can check for cycles
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
In a graph, if you want to check for cycles, which traversal method is more suitable?
Step 1: Understand what a cycle is in a graph. A cycle is a path that starts and ends at the same vertex without repeating any edges.
Step 2: Learn about graph traversal methods. The two common methods are Depth-First Search (DFS) and Breadth-First Search (BFS).
Step 3: Recognize that DFS explores as far as possible along each branch before backtracking. This means it can easily find cycles by checking if it revisits a vertex.
Step 4: Understand that during DFS, if you encounter a vertex that you have already visited and it is not the immediate parent of the current vertex, a cycle exists.
Step 5: Compare this with BFS, which explores all neighbors at the present depth prior to moving on to nodes at the next depth level. It is less effective in tracking back edges.
Step 6: Conclude that DFS is more suitable for cycle detection in graphs because it can effectively track back edges and identify cycles.
