A Simple Min Cut Algorithm

We present an algorithm for finding the minimum cut of an undirected edge-weighted graph. It is simple in every respect. It has a short and compact description, is easy to implement, and has a surprisingly simple proof of correctness. Its runtime matches that of the fastest algorithm known. The runtime analysis is straightforward. In contrast to nearly all approaches so far, the algorithm uses no flow techniques. Roughly speaking, the algorithm consists of about V nearly identical phases each of which is a maximum adjacency search. Categories and Subject Descriptors: G.L.2 [Discrete Mathematics]: Graph Theory--graph algorithms General Terms: Algorithms Additional Key Words and Phrases: Min-Cut

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1994
• Where: ESA
• Authors: Mechthild Stoer, Frank Wagner
• Keywords: Algorithms, ESA 1994, Fastest Algorithm, Undirected Edge-weighted Graph