Notes:


Problem : Complete the Canvas quiz on minimum spanning trees.

Problem : Give an $O(m \log n)$ algorithm to determine if a given minimum spanning tree is unique. The inputs to your algorithm are

You may assume that 1) if the given $T$ is not the unique minimum spanning tree then there is another minimum spanning tree $T'$ that differs from it by one edge; and 2)you can determine the edge of maximum weight (and its weight) on the simple path between any two vertices using edges in $T$ in $O(\log n)$ time. Compute the overall asymptotic running time of your algorithm in terms of $n$ (the number of vertices) and $m$ (the number of edges) and explain your result. You need not prove that your algorithm is correct.

Problem : Prove that for any minimum spanning tree $T$ for a connected, undirected graph $G$ with positive (and not necessarily distinct) egde weights, and for any pair of vertices $u, v$, and any path $P$ from $u$ to $v$ in $G$, the maximum weight edge along $P$ has a weight that is at least as high as the maximum weight edge along the unique simple path from $u$ to $v$ in $T$.

a generic MST
Example: can path $P$ (the dashed edges) have a maximum weight edge lighter than the maximum weight edge along the simple path (boldest edges) from $u$ to $v$ along the MST (bold edges)?