The Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) Calculator is an interactive tool designed for students and professionals in graph theory. It helps in finding the shortest possible route that a salesman can take to visit each city and return to the origin city.
Data Source and Methodology
All calculations are based on standard graph theory methodologies and algorithms. For further information, please refer to authoritative sources on graph theory and TSP.
The Formula Explained
Glossary of Terms
- Shortest Path: The path that covers all cities with the least total distance.
- Total Distance: The cumulative distance of the shortest path.
How It Works: A Step-by-Step Example
Consider cities A, B, C with distances AB=10, BC=20, CA=15. The calculator finds the shortest path A->B->C->A with a total distance of 45.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What is the Traveling Salesman Problem? It is an optimization problem that seeks the shortest possible route to visit each city and return to the origin city.
- How does the calculator determine the shortest path? It uses algorithms like the Branch and Bound method.
- Can I use the calculator for more than three cities? Yes, it supports multiple cities.
- What are the limitations of this calculator? It may not handle very large datasets due to computational complexity.
Tool developed by Ugo Candido. Content verified by the expert team. Last reviewed for accuracy on October 1, 2023.