Arborescence (graph theory)In graph theory, an arborescence is a directed graph in which, for a vertex u (called the root) and any other vertex v, there is exactly one directed path from u to v. An arborescence is thus the directed-graph form of a rooted tree, understood here as an undirected graph. Equivalently, an arborescence is a directed, rooted tree in which all edges point away from the root; a number of other equivalent characterizations exist. Every arborescence is a directed acyclic graph (DAG), but not every DAG is an arborescence.
Loop (graph theory)In graph theory, a loop (also called a self-loop or a buckle) is an edge that connects a vertex to itself. A simple graph contains no loops. Depending on the context, a graph or a multigraph may be defined so as to either allow or disallow the presence of loops (often in concert with allowing or disallowing multiple edges between the same vertices): Where graphs are defined so as to allow loops and multiple edges, a graph without loops or multiple edges is often distinguished from other graphs by calling it a simple graph.
Connectivity (graph theory)In mathematics and computer science, connectivity is one of the basic concepts of graph theory: it asks for the minimum number of elements (nodes or edges) that need to be removed to separate the remaining nodes into two or more isolated subgraphs. It is closely related to the theory of network flow problems. The connectivity of a graph is an important measure of its resilience as a network. In an undirected graph G, two vertices u and v are called connected if G contains a path from u to v.
PolytreeIn mathematics, and more specifically in graph theory, a polytree (also called directed tree, oriented tree or singly connected network) is a directed acyclic graph whose underlying undirected graph is a tree. In other words, if we replace its directed edges with undirected edges, we obtain an undirected graph that is both connected and acyclic. A polyforest (or directed forest or oriented forest) is a directed acyclic graph whose underlying undirected graph is a forest.
MultigraphIn mathematics, and more specifically in graph theory, a multigraph is a graph which is permitted to have multiple edges (also called parallel edges), that is, edges that have the same end nodes. Thus two vertices may be connected by more than one edge. There are 2 distinct notions of multiple edges: Edges without own identity: The identity of an edge is defined solely by the two nodes it connects. In this case, the term "multiple edges" means that the same edge can occur several times between these two nodes.
Dense graphIn mathematics, a dense graph is a graph in which the number of edges is close to the maximal number of edges (where every pair of vertices is connected by one edge). The opposite, a graph with only a few edges, is a sparse graph. The distinction of what constitutes a dense or sparse graph is ill-defined, and is often represented by 'roughly equal to' statements. Due to this, the way that density is defined often depends on the context of the problem.
ReachabilityIn graph theory, reachability refers to the ability to get from one vertex to another within a graph. A vertex can reach a vertex (and is reachable from ) if there exists a sequence of adjacent vertices (i.e. a walk) which starts with and ends with . In an undirected graph, reachability between all pairs of vertices can be determined by identifying the connected components of the graph. Any pair of vertices in such a graph can reach each other if and only if they belong to the same connected component; therefore, in such a graph, reachability is symmetric ( reaches iff reaches ).
Graph (discrete mathematics)In discrete mathematics, and more specifically in graph theory, a graph is a structure amounting to a set of objects in which some pairs of the objects are in some sense "related". The objects correspond to mathematical abstractions called vertices (also called nodes or points) and each of the related pairs of vertices is called an edge (also called link or line). Typically, a graph is depicted in diagrammatic form as a set of dots or circles for the vertices, joined by lines or curves for the edges.
Quiver (mathematics)In graph theory, a quiver is a directed graph where loops and multiple arrows between two vertices are allowed, in other words a multidigraph. They are commonly used in representation theory: a representation V of a quiver assigns a vector space V(x) to each vertex x of the quiver and a linear map V(a) to each arrow a. In , a quiver can be understood to be the underlying structure of a , but without composition or a designation of identity morphisms. That is, there is a forgetful functor from Cat to Quiv.
Orientation (graph theory)In graph theory, an orientation of an undirected graph is an assignment of a direction to each edge, turning the initial graph into a directed graph. A directed graph is called an oriented graph if none of its pairs of vertices is linked by two symmetric edges. Among directed graphs, the oriented graphs are the ones that have no 2-cycles (that is at most one of (x, y) and (y, x) may be arrows of the graph). A tournament is an orientation of a complete graph. A polytree is an orientation of an undirected tree.