A graph is a pictorial representation of a set of objects where some pairs of objects are connected by links. The interconnected objects are represented by points termed as vertices, and the links that connect the vertices are called edges.
Formally, a graph is a pair of sets (V, E), where V is the set of vertices and E is the set of edges, connecting the pairs of vertices.
Graph Data Structure
Mathematical graphs can be represented in data-structure. We can represent a graph using an array of vertices and a two dimensional array of edges. Before we proceed further, let's familiarize ourselves with some important terms −
Vertex − Each node of the graph is represented as a vertex. In example given below, labeled circle represents vertices. So A to G are vertices. We can represent them using an array as shown in image below. Here A can be identified by index 0. B can be identified using index 1 and so on.
Edge − Edge represents a path between two vertices or a line between two vertices. In example given below, lines from A to B, B to C and so on represents edges. We can use a two dimensional array to represent array as shown in image below. Here AB can be represented as 1 at row 0, column 1, BC as 1 at row 1, column 2 and so on, keeping other combinations as 0.
Adjacency − Two node or vertices are adjacent if they are connected to each other through an edge. In example given below, B is adjacent to A, C is adjacent to B and so on.
Path − Path represents a sequence of edges between two vertices. In example given below, ABCD represents a path from A to D.
Basic Operations
Following are basic primary operations of a Graph which are following.
Add Vertex − add a vertex to a graph.
Add Edge − add an edge between two vertices of a graph.
Display Vertex − display a vertex of a graph.
Graph is a data structure that consists of following two components:
1. A finite set of vertices also called as nodes
2. A finite set of ordered pair of the form (u, v) called as edge. The pair is ordered because (u, v) is not same as (v, u) in case of directed graph(di-graph). The pair of form (u, v) indicates that there is an edge from vertex u to vertex v. The edges may contain weight/value/cost.
Graphs are used to represent many real life applications: Graphs are used to represent networks. The networks may include paths in a city or telephone network or circuit network. Graphs are also used in social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook. For example, in Facebook, each person is represented with a vertex(or node). Each node is a structure and contains information like person id, name, gender and locale.
Following two are the most commonly used representations of graph.
1. Adjacency Matrix
2. Adjacency List
There are other representations also like, Incidence Matrix and Incidence List. The choice of the graph representation is situation specific. It totally depends on the type of operations to be performed and ease of use.
Adjacency Matrix:
Adjacency Matrix is a 2D array of size V x V where V is the number of vertices in a graph. Let the 2D array be adj[][], a slot adj[i][j] = 1 indicates that there is an edge from vertex i to vertex j. Adjacency matrix for undirected graph is always symmetric. Adjacency Matrix is also used to represent weighted graphs. If adj[i][j] = w, then there is an edge from vertex i to vertex j with weight w.
The adjacency matrix for the above example graph is:
Pros: Representation is easier to implement and follow. Removing an edge takes O(1) time. Queries like whether there is an edge from vertex ‘u’ to vertex ‘v’ are efficient and can be done O(1).
Cons: Consumes more space O(V^2). Even if the graph is sparse(contains less number of edges), it consumes the same space. Adding a vertex is O(V^2) time.
Adjacency List:
An array of linked lists is used. Size of the array is equal to number of vertices. Let the array be array[]. An entry array[i] represents the linked list of vertices adjacent to the ith vertex. This representation can also be used to represent a weighted graph. The weights of edges can be stored in nodes of linked lists.
Pros: Saves space O(|V|+|E|) . In the worst case, there can be C(V, 2) number of edges in a graph thus consuming O(V^2) space. Adding a vertex is easier.
Cons: Queries like whether there is an edge from vertex u to vertex v are not efficient and can be done O(V).