Euler Circuits

Learning Outcomes

  • Determine whether a graph has an Euler path and/ or circuit
  • Use Fleury’s algorithm to find an Euler circuit
  • Add edges to a graph to create an Euler circuit if one doesn’t exist

In the first section, we created a graph of the Königsberg bridges and asked whether it was possible to walk across every bridge once. Because Euler first studied this question, these types of paths are named after him.

The power of doing

There are new vocabulary terms to memorize in this section using the flashcard method mentioned previously, but the best way to develop long-term memory (the kind that persists for the test and beyond) is by doing. Once you do a problem and get it right though, don’t stop doing it! It’s the repetitive practice of doing the same problem multiple times that etches the process into your long-term memory.

This section includes multi-step processes that take time to work through. Allow yourself the opportunity to learn them well by working through the examples, videos, and Try It problems multiple times using pencil and paper.

Euler Path

An Euler path is a path that uses every edge in a graph with no repeats. Being a path, it does not have to return to the starting vertex.

Example

In the graph shown below, there are several Euler paths. One such path is CABDCB. The path is shown in arrows to the right, with the order of edges numbered.

A graph with four vertices and five edges. Vertex A has edges connecting to Vertices B and C. Vertex B has edges connecting to Vertices A, C, and D. Vertex C has edges connecting to Vertices A, B, and D. Vertex D has edges connecting to Vertices B and C. An Euler path is shown. Path: CABDCB.

Euler Circuit

An Euler circuit is a circuit that uses every edge in a graph with no repeats. Being a circuit, it must start and end at the same vertex.

Example

The graph below has several possible Euler circuits. Here’s a couple, starting and ending at vertex A: ADEACEFCBA and AECABCFEDA. The second is shown in arrows.

A graph with six vertices and nine edges. Vertex A has edges connecting to Vertices B, C, and D. Vertex B has edges connecting to Vertices C and A. Vertex C has edges connecting to Vertices A, B, E, and F. Vertex D has edges connecting to Vertices A and E. Vertex E has edges connecting to Vertices A, C, D, and F. Vertex F has edges connecting to Vertices C and E. An Euler circuit is shown. Circuit: AECABCFEDA.

Look back at the example used for Euler paths—does that graph have an Euler circuit? A few tries will tell you no; that graph does not have an Euler circuit. When we were working with shortest paths, we were interested in the optimal path. With Euler paths and circuits, we’re primarily interested in whether an Euler path or circuit exists.

Why do we care if an Euler circuit exists? Think back to our housing development lawn inspector from the beginning of the chapter. The lawn inspector is interested in walking as little as possible. The ideal situation would be a circuit that covers every street with no repeats. That’s an Euler circuit! Luckily, Euler solved the question of whether or not an Euler path or circuit will exist.

Euler’s Path and Circuit Theorems

A graph will contain an Euler path if it contains at most two vertices of odd degree.

A graph will contain an Euler circuit if all vertices have even degree

Example

In the graph below, vertices A and C have degree 4, since there are 4 edges leading into each vertex. B is degree 2, D is degree 3, and E is degree 1. This graph contains two vertices with odd degree (D and E) and three vertices with even degree (A, B, and C), so Euler’s theorems tell us this graph has an Euler path, but not an Euler circuit.

A graph containing two vertices with odd degrees and three vertices with even degrees.

Example

Is there an Euler circuit on the housing development lawn inspector graph we created earlier in the chapter? All the highlighted vertices have odd degree. Since there are more than two vertices with odd degree, there are no Euler paths or Euler circuits on this graph. Unfortunately our lawn inspector will need to do some backtracking.

Graph with 25 edges and 18 vertices. Seven of the vertices have even degrees, eight of them have odd degrees.

Example

When it snows in the same housing development, the snowplow has to plow both sides of every street. For simplicity, we’ll assume the plow is out early enough that it can ignore traffic laws and drive down either side of the street in either direction. This can be visualized in the graph by drawing two edges for each street, representing the two sides of the street.

Fig2_5_20

Notice that every vertex in this graph has even degree, so this graph does have an Euler circuit.

The following video gives more examples of how to determine an Euler path, and an Euler Circuit for a graph.

Fleury’s Algorithm

Now we know how to determine if a graph has an Euler circuit, but if it does, how do we find one? While it usually is possible to find an Euler circuit just by pulling out your pencil and trying to find one, the more formal method is Fleury’s algorithm.

Fleury’s Algorithm

1. Start at any vertex if finding an Euler circuit. If finding an Euler path, start at one of the two vertices with odd degree.
2. Choose any edge leaving your current vertex, provided deleting that edge will not separate the graph into two disconnected sets of edges.
3. Add that edge to your circuit, and delete it from the graph.
4. Continue until you’re done.

Example

Find an Euler Circuit on this graph using Fleury’s algorithm, starting at vertex A.

Step 1: Original Graph.Choosing edge AD. Circuit so far: AD. Step 2: AD deleted. D is current. Can’t choose DC since that would disconnect graph. Choosing DE.Circuit so far: ADE. Step 3: E is current. From here, there is only one option, so the rest of the circuit is determined. Circuit: ADEBDCA.

 

Try It

Does the graph below have an Euler Circuit? If so, find one.

The following video presents more examples of using Fleury’s algorithm to find an Euler Circuit.

Eulerization and the Chinese Postman Problem

Not every graph has an Euler path or circuit, yet our lawn inspector still needs to do her inspections. Her goal is to minimize the amount of walking she has to do. In order to do that, she will have to duplicate some edges in the graph until an Euler circuit exists.

Eulerization

Eulerization is the process of adding edges to a graph to create an Euler circuit on a graph. To eulerize a graph, edges are duplicated to connect pairs of vertices with odd degree. Connecting two odd degree vertices increases the degree of each, giving them both even degree. When two odd degree vertices are not directly connected, we can duplicate all edges in a path connecting the two.

Note that we can only duplicate edges, not create edges where there wasn’t one before. Duplicating edges would mean walking or driving down a road twice, while creating an edge where there wasn’t one before is akin to installing a new road!

Example

For the rectangular graph shown, three possible eulerizations are shown. Notice in each of these cases the vertices that started with odd degrees have even degrees after eulerization, allowing for an Euler circuit.

2 by 4 grid of rectangles. Each intersection has an open dot.

2 by 3 grid with dots at intersections. curved lines connecting upper dots on cell 2:1, right-hand dots on cell 1:1, upper dots on cell 1:3, right-hand dots on cell 1:3, and lower dots on cell 2:2

In the example above, you’ll notice that the last eulerization required duplicating seven edges, while the first two only required duplicating five edges. If we were eulerizing the graph to find a walking path, we would want the eulerization with minimal duplications. If the edges had weights representing distances or costs, then we would want to select the eulerization with the minimal total added weight.

Try It now

Eulerize the graph shown, then find an Euler circuit on the eulerized graph.

Equilateral triangle with dots at vertices labeled A, B, C. There is a smaller triangle which shares the C,D edge with the larger triangle. The smaller triangle has vertices labeled B, C, D.

 

Example

Looking again at the graph for our lawn inspector from Examples 1 and 8, the vertices with odd degree are shown highlighted. With eight vertices, we will always have to duplicate at least four edges. In this case, we need to duplicate five edges since two odd degree vertices are not directly connected. Without weights we can’t be certain this is the eulerization that minimizes walking distance, but it looks pretty good.

Graph with 25 edges and 20 vertices.

Graph with 30 edges and 18 vertices. 5 of the edges are shown in red to indicate eulerization of the previous image.

The problem of finding the optimal eulerization is called the Chinese Postman Problem, a name given by an American in honor of the Chinese mathematician Mei-Ko Kwan who first studied the problem in 1962 while trying to find optimal delivery routes for postal carriers.  This problem is important in determining efficient routes for garbage trucks, school buses, parking meter checkers, street sweepers, and more.

Unfortunately, algorithms to solve this problem are fairly complex. Some simpler cases are considered in the exercises

The following video shows another view of finding an Eulerization of the lawn inspector problem.