Paper 4, Section II, 20H

Optimization | Part IB, 2012

Describe the Ford-Fulkerson algorithm.

State conditions under which the algorithm is guaranteed to terminate in a finite number of steps. Explain why it does so, and show that it finds a maximum flow. [You may assume that the value of a flow never exceeds the value of any cut.]

In a football league of nn teams the season is partly finished. Team ii has already won wiw_{i} matches. Teams ii and jj are to meet in mijm_{i j} further matches. Thus the total number of remaining matches is M=i<jmijM=\sum_{i<j} m_{i j}. Assume there will be no drawn matches. We wish to determine whether it is possible for the outcomes of the remaining matches to occur in such a way that at the end of the season the numbers of wins by the teams are (x1,,xn)\left(x_{1}, \ldots, x_{n}\right).

Invent a network flow problem in which the maximum flow from source to sink equals MM if and only if (x1,,xn)\left(x_{1}, \ldots, x_{n}\right) is a feasible vector of final wins.

Illustrate your idea by answering the question of whether or not x=(7,5,6,6)x=(7,5,6,6) is a possible profile of total end-of-season wins when n=4,w=(1,2,3,4)n=4, w=(1,2,3,4), and M=14M=14 with

(mij)=(222211216216)\left(m_{i j}\right)=\left(\begin{array}{cccc} - & 2 & 2 & 2 \\ 2 & - & 1 & 1 \\ 2 & 1 & - & 6 \\ 2 & 1 & 6 & - \end{array}\right)

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