📚 Topic Summary
Unplugged activities for graph traversal algorithms provide a hands-on, interactive way to learn about how computers explore networks. Instead of writing code, you'll use physical objects like string, markers, and paper to represent graphs (networks of nodes and connections). These activities allow you to visualize and manually execute algorithms like Breadth-First Search (BFS) and Depth-First Search (DFS), making abstract concepts more concrete and understandable.
These activities focus on understanding the order in which nodes are visited and the logic behind choosing which path to explore next. By physically tracing paths and marking nodes, you develop a strong intuition for how these algorithms work, which lays a solid foundation for coding them later.
🧠 Part A: Vocabulary
Match the term with its correct definition:
| Term |
Definition |
| 1. Node |
A. A connection between two nodes |
| 2. Edge |
B. A traversal strategy that explores as far as possible along each branch before backtracking. |
| 3. Graph |
C. A traversal strategy that explores all the neighbors of the current node before moving to the next level. |
| 4. Depth-First Search (DFS) |
D. A fundamental unit in a graph, representing an object or entity. |
| 5. Breadth-First Search (BFS) |
E. A collection of nodes and edges, representing relationships between entities. |
Answers: 1-D, 2-A, 3-E, 4-B, 5-C
✏️ Part B: Fill in the Blanks
Complete the following paragraph using the words provided: queue, stack, neighbors, path, visited.
In Breadth-First Search (BFS), you explore all the _______ of a node before moving on. BFS uses a _______ data structure to keep track of the nodes to visit, ensuring nodes are processed in the order they were discovered. Before adding a node to the queue, it is checked if it's already been ________. The order of exploration forms a _________ through the graph.
Answers: neighbors, queue, visited, path
🤔 Part C: Critical Thinking
Imagine you're using Depth-First Search (DFS) to find a specific file in a computer's directory structure. Explain how DFS might find the file, and discuss one potential drawback of using DFS for this task.