GRAPH PLAYGROUND: A PEDAGOGIC TOOL FOR GRAPH THEORY AND ALGORITHMS
Adhikari, Neeraj · 2021
A system called Graph Playground has been created to enhance the teaching of introductory graph theory and graph algorithms presented in courses like CSC 340, Applied Combinatorics, and CSC 440, Design and Analysis of Algorithms, at the University of Rhode Island. The primary goals of the system are to allow visual creation and manipulation of graphs, and to provide a set of algorithms that can be applied to graphs with intermediate steps shown as visual decorations of the graph. The features and capabilities of the system are described, with demonstrations of the application of algorithms on example graphs. The design and implementation details of the system are also discussed, along with discussion of challenges encountered in the implementation and how they were solved. The system is designed to be easily extensible for new algorithms, and a breakdown of the steps needed to implement a new algorithm is presented.