33 Minimum Spanning ‘Trees (Sometimes Greed Pays Of ...) Katharina Skutella and Matin Sketella Techuinche Universitit Bertin, Betin, Geramany Once npon a tine iu a remote island kingdom there lived the Algo clan, The clansmen lived scattered all over the seven islands of the kin mm shown, The seven ishinds and the mainland were connected hy several ferries al lowing visits and excursions to the mainland. The ferry eounections are plot in dashed lines ou the map (Pig $3.1). The numbers indicate the length of the forry conncetiou in meters, Sz ZN Fig, $8.1. Th sland Mngdon ofthe Algos comprised tho seven lands B,C... HL Th dashed lines depict fry connestions, The mmborsindste the lenght of the forty connections in meters. For exauple, oot ferry crus Hetwen the maimland Aad the sland D, envering» stance of TU money B, Vaeking tal eta), Algorithms Unplugged 512% Katharina Skate aud Mastin Shute ‘The Bridge Project of the Algos Once in a wil, during stormy weather, fersies capsinad. Therefae, the Algor decided to replace certain ferry connections by bridges. In the frst your, one of the soven island was going tobe connected to the raintand by a new bridge. The Alges built bridge of length 130 m between Aan H, since all conneetions from A to other islands are longer uring the second year, they wanted to conneet another Island to the tainland. Therefore, the construction of a bridge between A or Hand another faland was taken into consideration. The Algos built the shartest passible Tider of length 90 m between HL atid C Tn the tied sear, the construction of another beklge (starting from A, C, cH) should coneet » third island to the mainland. This tine, the shortest possible option was the bridge of length 110 ra eonecting B and € The status quo of the ongoing building project is shown in Fig, 83.2. As you ean soe, the Algus wre net yet ready with their projeet Tn the following sears, the bridge of length 170 an hetween C and, then the bridge of lath 70 m connecting F and G, next the bridge of leet 80 ta from G 10 B, sud nally the bedge of Tenet 18) m connecting B and D weve vu Finally, after seven years all islands were connected to each other andl to the mainland by bridges. The bridge project was therefore completed, ‘The fal bridge system of the Alene i shown in Fig 3. The Algos were delighted. The time and effort for buikling the bridges Jad Been enormous, but they were convinced that they had avoided the em SN} ZN CCyand Hate altendy connected to the mainlandig. $8.8. The nal bridge system of tho Algoe struction of exerssively loug bridges as far as possible. The total length ofall ep, as yo ean easily cheek, to exactly 830 Building Bridges After the Hurricane Shorty after the completion ofthe lst bridge, a terrible hurricane swept over te kingdom and completely destroyed the proions bridges. After rocovern from the shock, the Algos deeded to construct new bridge system, Again the bridges were supposes! to connect all islands eaele other and to the ssid Dic to the hurricane, there was alae of building material. It wns agreed to first Ilda shortest pase bridge. Therefore, in the fist year after the Inuticane, the bridge of length 701 connecting F and G was built Also in the second year building material was scarce, so that the next longer bridge of length M0 m from E to G wos bit According to this strategy, in the third year the bridge of length 90 i Detwoen C and H was built After the construction of these three bridges the three islands EF, and Cand the tuo islands C and Hl were connected to each thor (see Fig. 8.) Tithe fonsth year, the shortest oonneetion that ad not een reali yet was the one of length 100-m hetween and F. Because both ilands were already ccutected to each other via G, they instead hilt the bridge of let 110 m connecting B and C. Diirng the filth year, che bridge of length 190 m from A to H ss added ‘then the bridge of length 170 m connecting C and Gand finaly in the seventh,