Graph Theory

Noun · Development

Definitions

  1. The mathematical study of graphs — structures consisting of vertices (nodes) connected by edges. Undirected or directed, weighted or unweighted, cyclic or acyclic. Underlies social networks, route planning, dependency resolution, garbage collection, network topology, and recommendation engines. Key algorithms: BFS, DFS, Dijkstra, A*, topological sort, min spanning tree.

    In plain English: The math of connected things — nodes and the links between them — powering everything from GPS navigation to social networks.

    Example: "Social network features are graph theory problems — friend recommendations use common neighbors, and 'degrees of separation' is shortest path."

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