An introduction to the mathematical tools used in the study of networks. Topics discussed include: the adjacency matrix; weighted, directed, acyclic, and bipartite networks; multilayer and dynamic networks; trees; planar networks. Some basic properties of networks are then discussed, including degrees, density and sparsity, paths on networks, component structure, and connectivity and cut sets. The final part of the chapter focuses on the graph Laplacian and its applications to network visualization, graph partitioning, the theory of random walks, and other problems.
Algorithms for network flow problems, such as maximum flow, minimum cost flow, and multi-commodity flow problems, are continuously developed and improved, and so, random network generators become indispensable to simulate the functionality and to test the correctness and the execution speed of these algorithms. For this purpose, in this paper, the well-known Erdős–Rényi model is adapted to generate random flow (transportation) networks. The developed algorithm is fast and based on the natural property of the flow that can be decomposed into directed elementary s-t paths and cycles. So, the proposed algorithm can be used to quickly build a vast number of networks as well as large-scale networks especially designed for s-t flows.
Adaptation of Random Binomial Graphs for Testing Network Flow Problems Algorithms