CS4CRT12: Computer Aided

Optimization Techniques

Dr. Asha Das

Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science
Union Christian College, Aluva, Kochi
 Module V
Network Routing Problems
Network Flow Problems
Network Flow Problems
• Networks for information transmission
• Flow of water through pipes
• Distribution of goods and energy
• Airline networks
Features of Network Flow Models
• Visual Content
• Depict a problem graphically
• Make problems easily understood
• Model Flexibility
• Solvability
• Computationally efficient algorithms exist for solving network flow problems
Network Notations and Definitions

• Nodes and Links

• A network consists of a set of points and a set of lines connecting different pairs of
points
• Points are called nodes and lines are called links (or arcs or branches)
• Network – (N, L)
• N = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}, L = {1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 2-3, 4-3, 3-5, 4-5, 5-4}
Network Notations and Definitions
• A link is directed if it allows positive flows in one direction and a zero flow in
the opposite direction
• A network is a directed network if its entire links are directed
• A path is a sequence of distinct links that join two nodes through some other
nodes
• A directed path from node i to node j is a sequence of connecting links having
flows towards node j. An undirected path may allow flows in either direction
• A path is said to form a cycle if it connects a node to itself through other
nodes
• A connected network is a network where every two distinct nodes are
connected by at least one path
 Network Notations and Definitions
• A tree is connected network that may involve only a subset of all nodes of
the network without having any cycle in between
• A tree that links all the nodes of the network with no cycles allowed is a
called a spanning tree
• Maximum amount of flow that can pass through a directed link is called a
link capacity
Minimal Spanning Tree
Problem
Minimal Spanning Tree Problem
Applications of Minimal Spanning Tree Problem
Minimal Spanning Tree Algorithm
Question 2405
Question 2405 Soln.
Question 2
Question 2 Soln.
Shortest Route Problem
Shortest Route Problems
• Objective
• Find a series of links connected with correct directions such that one can start at the
origin and arrive at the destination traversing the links and that the sum of numbers on
the links are either minimum(fastest or cheapest) or maximum (most scenic route)
• Dijkstra’s shortest path algorithm
• Most commonly used shortest path algorithm
• Finds the shortest paths from a given source to all nodes in a network at the same time
• Hence also called as single-source shortest path problem
• A labelling algorithm
• Finds the shortest route from the starting node to any other node in the network
• At each iteration a new node is assigned a final label
• This label gives the shortest distance from the start node to this node
• Working labels of all nodes are improved at each stage
Dijkstra’s Shortest Path Algorithm
Question 2414
Qn 2414 Sol.
Question 2415
Qn 2415 Soln.
Maximal Flow problems
 Maximal Flow problems
• Objective
• Determine the maximum flow between an origin node and a destination node
• Maximal flow problem can be described as:
 Maximal Flow problems
• Can be formulated as an LPP and could be solved by simplex method
• More efficient special algorithms available
• Two Methods:
1. The Augmenting Path Method
2. Maximum-flow minimum-cut method
1. The Augmenting Path Method
• Residual Network
• After some flows have been assigned to the links, the residual network gives the
remaining link capacities for assigning any additional flows

• Augmenting Path
• Directed path from source to the sink in a residual network such that every link on
this path has a strictly positive residual capacity in the positive direction of the link
• The minimum of these residual capacities on the path is called the residual capacity
of the augmenting path
• This least residual capacity gives the amount of flow that can be added to the entire
path
The Augmenting Path Method
• Augmenting path algorithm
Question 2427
Qn 2427 Soln.
2. Maximum-flow Minimum-cut Method
Question 2428
Qn 2428 Soln.