Can we solve the Traveling Salesman Problem by finding the Minimum Spanning Tree?
Can we solve the Traveling Salesman Problem by finding the Minimum Spanning Tree?
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The Minimum Spanning Tree problem asks you to build a tree that connects all cities and has minimum total weight, while the Travelling Salesman Problem asks you to find a trip that visits all cities with minimum total weight (and possibly coming back to your starting point).
If you’re having trouble seeing the difference, in MST, you need to find a minimum weight tree in a weighted graph, while in TSP you need to find a minimum weight path (or cycle / circuit). Does that help?