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Strongly Connected Component meaning in DSA

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Strongly Connected Component (SCC) is a concept in graph theory, specifically in directed graphs. A subgraph of a directed graph is considered to be an SCC if and only if for every pair of vertices A and B, there exists a path from A to B and a path from B to A.

Example of Strongly Connected Component

Example of Strongly Connected Component

Properties of Strongly Connected Component:

  • An SCC is a maximal strongly connected subgraph.
  • An SCC cannot be split into smaller SCCs.
  • If two SCCs have an edge between them, then they are part of a larger SCC.
  • An SCC contains a cycle. 

How to Identify a Strongly Connected Component?

There are several algorithms to identify SCCs in a directed graph. The two most popular ones are:

 Both of these algorithms use Depth-First Search (DFS) to traverse the graph and identify the SCCs.

Applications of Strongly Connected Component:

  • Network analysis: SCCs are used to identify strongly connected components in a network. For example, in social network analysis, SCCs can help identify groups of people who are highly connected to each other.
  • Detect cycles: SCCs are used to detect cycles in a directed graph. If an SCC is detected, then it is guaranteed that there is at least one cycle in the graph.
  • Software Engineering: SCCs can help identify modules or components in a software system that are highly interdependent and may require special attention for maintenance or refactoring.

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Last Updated : 28 Mar, 2023
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