The Connectivity Problem

Algorithmically Speaking - #13: Explaining the foundations of the most present real-world graph application.

Hello there, and welcome to a new edition of Algorithmically Speaking!

In the modern world, we are used to technology telling us how to travel from our current position to places we have never been. It usually lets us know several ways to get there, including the fastest or cheapest.

In today’s discussion, I want to present the two most basic algorithms used in real-life scenarios that support a massive part of what our current delivery, location, and transportation services use. Though the mechanisms used in modern-day apps are much more sophisticated, they stand on the shoulders of these two basic but effective methods.

In order, this is our agenda for today:

• 🍞 Breadth-First Search — a graph traversal that simulates how you would explore a new city.

• 🥖 Depth-First Search — a graph traversal that would allow you to escape from any maze.

• 🥞 Connected Components — a graph term to call your hometown if you knew how to get to any place from any location.

This article is part of a chapter on Fu…