Graph Algorithms the Fun Way

Enter the wonderful world of graph algorithms, where you’ll learn when and how to apply these highly useful data structures to solve a wide range of fascinating (and fantastical) computational problems.

This book provides a fun and accessible introduction to graph algorithms, commonly used to solve a wide range of computational and mathematical problems. Full of humorous analogies, detailed diagrams, and real-world examples using the Python programming language, Graph Algorithms the Fun Way will show you how graph data structures can model a vast variety of phenomena — from physical mazes to communication networks — while helping you develop a strong foundation for how they work, when to use them, and how to create variants.

It starts with the structure of graphs, demonstrating the ways they can represent connections between nodes, such as the best route through a city or how rumors spread in a social network. Each subsequent chapter introduces new graph algorithms along with their underlying concepts and applications — from basic searches to more advanced methods of exploring graphs. You’ll have a blast solving brain-teasers including the 15-square puzzle, matching adopted pets with homes, calculating the maximum flow of a sewage network, traversing magical labyrinths, sorting recipe steps to craft the perfect cookies, and more. You’ll also learn how to:

• Work with weighted and directed graphs
• Use heuristics to prioritize which paths in a graph to explore
• Determine which components of a graph are key for its structural integrity
• Generate random mazes

Guided by the bestselling author of Data Structures the Fun Way, this equally fun follow-up will help you build a strong understanding of a crucial coding topic and apply graph algorithms to your own projects.