What is Breadth-First Search?
The Breadth-First Search is a traversing algorithm used to satisfy a given property by searching the tree or graph data structure. It belongs to uninformed or blind search AI algorithms as It operates solely based on the connectivity of nodes and doesn’t prioritize any particular path over another based on heuristic knowledge or domain-specific information. it doesn’t incorporate any additional information beyond the structure of the search space. It is optimal for unweighted graphs and is particularly suitable when all actions have the same cost. Due to its systematic search strategy, BFS can efficiently explore even infinite state spaces. The graph structure of BFS allows to work as follows:
- Originally it starts at the root node, then it expands all of its successors, it systematically explores all its neighbouring nodes before moving to the next level of nodes. ( As shown in the above image, It starts from the root node A then expands its successors B)
- This process of extending the root node’s immediate neighbours, then to their neighbours, and so on, lasts until all the nodes within the graph have been visited or until the specific condition is met. From the above image we can observe that after visiting the node B it moves to node C. when the level 1 is completed, it further moves to the next level i.e 2 and explore node D. it will move systematically to node E, node F and node G. After visiting the node G it will terminate.
Breadth First Search (BFS) for Artificial Intelligence
In artificial intelligence, the Breadth-First Search (BFS) algorithm is an essential tool for exploring and navigating various problem spaces. By systematically traversing graph or tree structures, BFS solves tasks such as pathfinding, network routing, and puzzle solving. This article probes into the core concepts of BFS, its algorithms, and practical applications in AI.
Table of Content
- What is Breadth-First Search?
- Key characteristics of BFS
- Breadth First Search (BFS) Algorithms
- How Breadth-First Search can help in Robot Pathfinding
- Practical Implementations of BFS in Pathfinding of Robots
- Conclusion
- FAQs on Breadth First Search (BFS) for Artificial Intelligence