5 The manager of a farm shop wants to pave routes on the farm so that, after visiting the shop, customers can visit the animals in fields A, B, C, D and E.
The table shows the cost, in \(\pounds\), of making a paved path between each pair of fields.
A river means that it is not possible to make a paved path between C and E .
| \(\mathrm { A } , \mathrm { B }\) | \(\mathrm { A } , \mathrm { C }\) | \(\mathrm { A } , \mathrm { D }\) | \(\mathrm { A } , \mathrm { E }\) | \(\mathrm { B } , \mathrm { C }\) | \(\mathrm { B } , \mathrm { D }\) | \(\mathrm { B } , \mathrm { E }\) | \(\mathrm { C } , \mathrm { D }\) | \(\mathrm { C } , \mathrm { E }\) | \(\mathrm { D } , \mathrm { E }\) |
| 300 | 500 | 900 | 700 | 200 | 600 | 400 | 500 | - | 100 |
- Determine the minimum cost of connecting the fields.
- By applying the lower bound algorithm to each vertex in turn, determine a best lower bound for \(P\), the minimum cost of making a circular tour (cycle) of paved paths that visits each field once.
- By applying the nearest neighbour algorithm, starting at each vertex in turn, find a best upper bound for \(P\). You do not need to attempt any route improvements.
- Give the order in which the fields are visited in a circular tour of paved paths that corresponds to the best upper bound found in part (b)(ii).
- Give a practical reason why the total cost of paving for the project might be more than the best upper bound found in part (b)(ii).
It becomes possible to use an existing bridge to make a paved route between C and E . Using this bridge, there is a new indirect route from A to D that costs less than \(\pounds 900\) to pave.
- When this bridge is used, what can be determined about the minimum cost of
- paving the route between C and E
- connecting all the fields?