What is Dijkstra's algorithm and how is it applied to graph theory?

Question

Accepted Answer

Dijkstra's algorithm finds the shortest path between nodes in a graph, optimizing route selection in various applications.

Graph Representation: Dijkstra's algorithm works on weighted graphs, where edges have non-negative weights, representing distances or costs.
Initialization: It starts by setting the initial node's distance to zero and all others to infinity, marking the initial node as visited.
Relaxation Process: The algorithm iteratively updates the shortest known distance to each neighboring node, ensuring the shortest path is found.
Priority Queue: A priority queue is often used to efficiently select the next node with the smallest tentative distance.
Applications: Commonly used in GPS navigation systems, network routing protocols, and game development for pathfinding.

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