Graph theory has existed as a branch of mathematics for only a short time; the first book on graph theory was published less than 100 years ago. While the first problem related to what we now call graph theory dates back to 1735, it has been the advent of computers that has shown the subject’s true utility. It is a subject with simple beauty and surprising depth. Many of the main areas of graph theory can be understood with almost no mathematical prerequisites, yet new research in the subject generates hundreds of peer-reviewed research papers each year.
In this chapter, we will explore just a few of the ways you can use graphs and their properties to solve problems that show up in computer science, mathematics, and almost every other applied science.
