Discovering Euler Paths in Graphs: Criteria and Fleury’s Algorithm Explained

Euler path

a route that covers every edge in graph exactly once

An Euler path is a path in a graph that visits each edge exactly once. The concept is named after Leonhard Euler, a renowned Swiss mathematician who proved the existence of such paths in a network with a specific set of properties in the 18th century.

To determine whether a graph has an Euler path or not, we use the following criteria:

1. A graph has an Euler path if and only if it is connected and has 0 or 2 vertices with odd degrees (number of edges incident on a vertex).

2. If a graph has 0 vertices with odd degrees, then it has an Euler circuit (an Euler path that starts and ends at the same vertex).

3. If a graph has 2 vertices with odd degrees, then it has an Euler path that starts at one of the vertices with odd degree and ends at the other.

4. If a graph has more than 2 vertices with odd degrees, it does not have an Euler path or circuit.

To find an Euler path in a graph, we can use the Fleury’s algorithm which is a step-by-step process that systematically takes edges which result in the traversal of edges in graph, so that it can find an Eulerian path/circuit.

In summary, an Euler path is a path in a graph which visits each edge exactly once, and a graph has an Euler path/circuit if and only if it has the specific properties such as having 0 or 2 vertices with odd degrees.

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