Dijkstra Algorithm Questions Long
The purpose of the visited array in the Dijkstra Algorithm is to keep track of the vertices that have been visited or explored during the algorithm's execution. It is used to mark the vertices as visited or not visited, indicating whether their shortest path from the source vertex has been determined or not.
The Dijkstra Algorithm is a graph traversal algorithm that finds the shortest path between a given source vertex and all other vertices in a weighted graph. It works by iteratively selecting the vertex with the minimum distance from the source vertex, updating the distances of its neighboring vertices, and marking them as visited.
The visited array is typically implemented as a boolean array, where each element represents a vertex in the graph. Initially, all elements are set to false, indicating that no vertices have been visited. As the algorithm progresses, vertices are marked as visited when their shortest path from the source vertex is determined.
By keeping track of the visited vertices, the algorithm ensures that it explores each vertex only once, preventing unnecessary computations and avoiding infinite loops. It also helps in determining when the algorithm has finished, as it can terminate when all vertices have been visited.
In summary, the visited array in the Dijkstra Algorithm serves the purpose of tracking the visited vertices, allowing the algorithm to efficiently explore the graph and find the shortest path from the source vertex to all other vertices.