Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
The shortest path refers to the route with the minimum total distance between two points in a graph or network.
Related terms
Graph Theory: A branch of mathematics that deals with relationships between objects, represented as nodes (vertices) connected by edges.
Dijkstra's Algorithm: An algorithm used to find the shortest path between two nodes in a weighted graph.
Bellman-Ford Algorithm: Another algorithm used to find the shortest path between two nodes in a weighted graph, which can handle negative edge weights.