Bellman–Ford and negative cycles
Initialize d(s)=0 and other distances to infinity, then relax every directed edge for |V|−1 rounds.
Key knowledge
Initialize d(s)=0 and other distances to infinity, then relax every directed edge for |V|−1 rounds. Distances are correct when no reachable negative cycle exists; an improvement on another round witnesses a reachable negative cycle. Costs are O(|V||E|) relaxations plus initialization.
Conditions and scope
- Edges may have negative weights.
- Vertices reachable onward from a reachable negative cycle have no finite shortest-walk weight; unreachable negative cycles do not affect the source.
Sources · 1
References
Sources retain their recorded scope. A source link alone does not establish verification of every statement.
Evidence and review
Lecture 12 simple shortest paths, |V|-edge witness and traditional relaxation discussion.
2026-10-10 · Independent AI editorial review: All241 compact claims, hypotheses, displayed equations/conventions and all596 origin semantic links read; entire241-entry author exact-source inspection matrix and declared limitations reviewed. Prior105 actual inherited Mathematics/Information records read for whole-inventory breadth. Targeted independent primary sections are listed below; this does NOT claim every cited source body or every proof was independently re-read. This is AI reference-content review, not human disciplinary certification, exhaustive textbook reproduction or experimental replication. Receipt: mathematics-information-independent-content-review.1.
Entry details
Permanent link to this entry ↗- Record identity
- info-bellman-ford
- Revision
- university-core.1
- Structured reference record
- University core expansion