Search code examples
prologgraph-theorydirected-acyclic-graphstransitive-closuremeta-predicate

Prolog, Determine if graph is acyclic


I need to define a predicate acyclic/1 that takes a graph in as input and determine if that graph is acyclic. So from my understanding

graph1(a,b).
graph1(b,c). 
graph1(c,a). 

Will return no and

graph2(a,b).
graph2(b,c). 

will return yes

I made a predicate to determine if 2 nodes in a graph are connected and if so they will return yes.

isConnected(X,Y) :- a(X,Z), isConnected(Z,Y).

is there a way that I can use this to determine if a graph is acyclic?

I do not want to use any predefined predicates.


Solution

  • Using closure0/3:

    :- meta_predicate(acyclic(2)).
    :- meta_predicate(cyclic(2)).
    
    acyclic(R_2) :-
       \+cyclic(R_2).
    
    cyclic(R_2) :-
      closure0(R_2, X0,X),
      call(R_2, X,X0).
    
    ?- acyclic(graph2).
       true.
    ?- acyclic(graph1).
       false.
    

    cyclic/1 succeeds if the following exists:

    1. an acyclic connexion from X0 to X, thus:

      closure0(R_2, X0,X) or more verbosely:

      call(R_2, X0,X1), call(R_2, X1,X2), call(R_2, X2,X3), ..., call(R_2, Xn,X) with X0,X1,...,Xn all pairwise different

    2. one edge back

      call(R_2, X,X0).

    so that is a cycle. In other words, a cyclic graph is a graph that contains at least one cycle. And that cycle consists of an acyclic part plus one edge back. And it is only this edge back that makes this a cycle.