Minimum-Cost Spanning Tree

• weighted connected undirected graph

• spanning tree
• cost of spanning tree is sum of edge costs
• find spanning tree that has minimum cost
 Example

8 10 14
1 3 5 7
7 4 12 6 3
2
2 4 6 8
9

• Network has 10 edges.

• Spanning tree has only n - 1 = 7 edges.
• Need to either select 7 edges or discard 3.
 Edge Selection Strategies
• Start with an n-vertex 0-edge forest.
Consider edges in ascending order of cost.
Select edge if it does not form a cycle
together with already selected edges.
 Kruskal’s method.
• Start with a 1-vertex tree and grow it into an
n-vertex tree by repeatedly adding a vertex
and an edge. When there is a choice, add a
least cost edge.
 Prim’s method.
 Edge Rejection Strategies
• Start with the connected graph. Repeatedly
find a cycle and eliminate the highest cost
edge on this cycle. Stop when no cycles
remain.
• Consider edges in descending order of cost.
Eliminate an edge provided this leaves
behind a connected graph.
 Kruskal’s Method
8 10 14
3 7 3 7
7 4 12 6 3
2
4 8 4 8
9

• Start with a forest that has no edges.

• Consider edges in ascending order of cost.

• Edge (1,2) is considered first and added to
the forest.
 Kruskal’s Method
8 10 14
3 7 3 7
7 3 7 4 6 3
2 4 12 6 2
4 8 4 8
9

• Edge (7,8) is considered next and added.

• Edge (3,4) is considered next and added.
• Edge (5,6) is considered next and added.
• Edge (2,3) is considered next and added.
• Edge (1,3) is considered next and rejected
because it creates a cycle.
 Kruskal’s Method
8 10 14 10 14
3 7 3 7
7 3 7 4 6 3
2 4 12 6 2
4 8 4 8
9

• Edge (2,4) is considered next and rejected because it creates a cycle.

• Edge (3,5) is considered next and added.

• Edge (3,6) is considered next and rejected.
• Edge (5,7) is considered next and added.
 Kruskal’s Method
8 10 14 10 14
3 7 3 7
7 3 7 4 6 3
2 4 12 6 2
4 8 4 8
9

• n - 1 edges have been selected and no cycle formed.

• So we must have a spanning tree.
• Cost is 46.
• Min-cost spanning tree is unique when all edge
costs are different.
 Prim’s Method
8 10 14 10 14
3 7 3 7
7 3 7 4 6 3
2 4 12 6 2
4 8 4 8
9

• Start with any single vertex tree.

• Get a 2-vertex tree by adding a cheapest edge.
• Get a 3-vertex tree by adding a cheapest edge.
• Grow the tree one edge at a time until the tree
has n - 1 edges (and hence has all n vertices).
 Minimum-Cost Spanning Tree Methods

• Can prove that all stated edge selection/rejection

result in a minimum-cost spanning tree.
• Prim’s method is fastest.
 O(n2) using an implementation similar to that of
Dijkstra’s shortest-path algorithm.
• Kruskal’s uses union-find trees to run in O(n + e
log e) time.
Pseudocode For Kruskal’s Method

Start with an empty set T of edges.

while (E is not empty && |T| != n-1)
{
Let (u,v) be a least-cost edge in E.
E = E - {(u,v)}. // delete edge from E
if ((u,v) does not create a cycle in T)
Add edge (u,v) to T.
}
if (| T | == n-1) T is a min-cost spanning tree.
else Network has no spanning tree.
Data Structures For Kruskal’s Method

Edge set E.
Operations are:
 Is E empty?
 Select and remove a least-cost edge.
Use a min heap of edges.
 Initialize. O(e) time.
 Remove and return least-cost edge. O(log e) time.
Data Structures For Kruskal’s Method

Set of selected edges T.

Operations are:
 Does T have n - 1 edges?
 Does the addition of an edge (u, v) to T result in a
cycle?
 Add an edge to T.
Data Structures For Kruskal’s Method
Use an array for the edges of T.
 Does T have n - 1 edges?
• Check number of edges in array. O(1) time.
 Does the addition of an edge (u, v) to T result in a
cycle?
• Not easy.
 Add an edge to T.
• Add at right end of edges in array. O(1) time.
Data Structures For Kruskal’s Method
Does the addition of an edge (u, v) to T result in
a cycle?
3 7
7 4 6 3
2
4 8

• Each component of T is a tree.

• When u and v are in the same component, the
addition of the edge (u,v) creates a cycle.
• When u and v are in the different
components, the addition of the edge (u,v)
does not create a cycle.
Data Structures For Kruskal’s Method
3 7
7 4 6 3
2
4 8

• Each component of T is defined by the

vertices in the component.
• Represent each component as a set of
vertices.
 {1, 2, 3, 4}, {5, 6}, {7, 8}
• Two vertices are in the same component iff
they are in the same set of vertices.
Data Structures For Kruskal’s Method
3 7
7 4 6 3
2
4 8

• When an edge (u, v) is added to T, the two

components that have vertices u and v
combine to become a single component.
• In our set representation of components, the
set that has vertex u and the set that has
vertex v are united.
 {1, 2, 3, 4} + {5, 6} => {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}