Paper 4, Section II, H

Optimization | Part IB, 2014

Consider a network with a single source and a single sink, where all the edge capacities are finite. Write down the maximum flow problem, and state the max-flow min-cut theorem.

Describe the Ford-Fulkerson algorithm. If all edge capacities are integers, explain why, starting from a suitable initial flow, the algorithm is guaranteed to end after a finite number of iterations.

The graph in the diagram below represents a one-way road network taking traffic from point AA to point BB via five roundabouts Ri,i=1,,5R_{i}, i=1, \ldots, 5. The capacity of each road is shown on the diagram in terms of vehicles per minute. Assuming that all roundabouts can deal with arbitrary amounts of flow of traffic, find the maximum flow of traffic (in vehicles per minute) through this network of roads. Show that this flow is indeed optimal.

After a heavy storm, roundabout R2R_{2} is flooded and only able to deal with at most 20 vehicles per minute. Find a suitable new network for the situation after the storm. Apply the Ford-Fulkerson algorithm to the new network, starting with the zero flow and explaining each step, to determine the maximum flow and the associated flows on each road.

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