Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, Seventh Edition

Published by McGraw-Hill Education
ISBN 10: 0073383090
ISBN 13: 978-0-07338-309-5

Chapter 11 - Section 11.5 - Minimum Spanning Trees - Supplementary Exercises - Page 807: 43

Answer

Showing that if no two edges in a weighted graph have the same weight, then the edge with least weight incident to a vertex v is included in every minimum spanning tree.

Work Step by Step

Suppose that edge e is the edge of least weight incident to vertex v, and suppose that T is a spanning tree that does not include e. Add e to T , and delete from the simple circuit formed thereby the other edge of the circuit that contains v. The result will be a spanning tree of strictly smaller weight (because the deleted edge has weight greater than the weight of e). This is a contradiction, so T must include e.
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