What is the difference between Minimum Spanning Tree and Shortest Path?

What is the difference between Minimum Spanning Tree and Shortest Path?

The Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) connects all vertices in a graph with the least total edge weight, while the Shortest Path algorithm finds the shortest distance between two specific vertices.

Can you give me an example of each?

Sure! For MST, consider a network of cities connected by roads; the MST would connect all cities with the least total road length. For Shortest Path, if you want to find the quickest route from City A to City B, the algorithm will calculate the shortest distance between them.

Are there specific algorithms used for each?

Yes! Common algorithms for MST include Prim's and Kruskal's algorithms, while Dijkstra's and A* algorithms are often used for finding the shortest path.

Which one is more efficient?

It depends on the context. MST is efficient for connecting all nodes, while Shortest Path is optimized for finding the quickest route between two points.