Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute

Applied Math 40S

Connectivity Matricies

Planning travel between different cities can become very complicated. If the number of cities and the
number of alternative routes are small, the problem is relatively easy and can be handled with little
more than paper and pencil. If the number of cities is large (even just 5 cities) or if there are many
alternative routes, the human mind has great difficulty organizing and considering all the
alternatives.

A matrix is a mathematical tool that is useful for organizing and dealing with large amounts of data.
Matrices (plural for matrix) can be used to summarize the routes between cities and to even
calculate the different number of routes. Airlines, train and bus companies, and truck dispatchers are
some of the organizations that use matrices as they make plans for moving people or goods to and
from various locations.

To see how matrices are used in transportation planning, let's start with something simple: a
problem involving three cities and then we'll extend what we've learned to a more realistic problem
involving six cities.

Three Cities
A small airline serves three cities, Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), and Charlotte (CLT), using a
limited number of airplanes. The flight service planner needs a convenient method for keeping track
of all possible trips connecting the three cities. She is concerned with "one-hop," "two-hop," "three-
hop," etc. trips. A "two-hop" trips means that you start at one city, say Atlanta, and make one-hop to
the next, say Boston, then a second hop to another city, either Atlanta or Charlotte.

This small airline is licenced to fly between certain cities. It can fly a route between Atlanta and
Boston (to and from either city) and a route between Boston and Charlotte (again, to and from
either city). No other flights are available.

1. Use the diagram below to draw a network that shows this airline's route service between Atlanta
(ATL), Boston (BOS), and Charlotte (CLT).

BOS

ATL

CLT

2 0
 
A matrix is a rectangular grid of numbers. For example, 0 1 is a matrix consisting of three rows
 
3 2
and two columns. We put parentheses around the numbers in the grid to indicate that they are to be
considered as a single item: a matrix of numbers. Each number inside the matrix is known as an
element or cell.

We can create a matrix that represents the routes between our three cities. Such a matrix will need
three rows and three columns, each row and column represent each of the three cities.

Atlanta Boston Charlotte

Atlanta
Boston
Charlotte

For each cell in the matrix, we can place a 1 to indicate that there is one route between the city in the
row and column for that cell. For example, there is one route between Atlanta and Boston, so there
should be a 1 in the cell on the first row, second column. We use 0 to indicate that there is no route
between the two cities. There is no route from Atlanta to Charlotte (directly, in one-hop) and
likewise no route from Atlanta back to Atlanta (directly) so the matrix looks like:

Atlanta Boston Charlotte

Atlanta 0 1 0
Boston
Charlotte

2. Complete the matrix above.

Mathematicians prefer to work with only the most relevant information. The matrix summarizing
the one-hop routes between the three cities is know as the "connectivity matrix" and it can be written
in its briefest form by leaving off the names of the cities:

0 1 0
 
1 0 1
 
0 1 0

The power of mathematics is derived from what information one can gains from its use. To see this
power, first produce all the "two-hop" routes between the three cities. To get you started, is there a
"two-hop" route between Atlanta and Atlanta? Yes, you fly Atlanta to Boston then back to Atlanta.
Any others? No. So 1 goes in the first cell. Is there a "two-hop" route from Atlanta to Boston? No,
you can fly from Atlanta to Boston, but your next hop will take you away from Boston, so 0 will go
in the next cell.

Atlanta Boston Charlotte

Atlanta 1 0
Boston
Charlotte

3. Complete the table above of all two-hop routes between the three cities.

0 1 0 0 1 0
  
4. Find the product of 1 0 1 1 0 1
  
0 1 0 0 1 0

5. Compare the results of #3 and #4 above. What do you notice?

 3
1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0
    
6. Find the product of 0 2 0 1 0 1  or 1 0 1
    
1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0

7. Fill in the table for the three hop routes between the three cities.

Atlanta Boston Charlotte

Atlanta
Boston
Charlotte

8. What does the 4th power of the connectivity matrix tell you.

Matrix multiplication can get tiresome. A graphing calculator or computer can be used to perform
matrix multiplication. Feel free to use your calculator throughout this exercise.

A More Realistic Example

Consider six cities: Los Angeles (LAX), Atlanta (ATL), Pittsburgh (PIT), Miami (MIA), Charlotte
(CLT), and Boston (BOS). Suppose our airline as expanded serve to include routes among these
six as described by the network diagram below:

BOS
PIT

LAX

ATL CLT

MIA

9. Find the connectivity matrix for the six cities.

10. Use a graphing calculator to find the number of all two-hop routes between the six cities.

11. Use a graphing calculator to find the number of all three-hop routes between the six cities.

12. Use a graphing calculator to find the number of all four-hop routes between the six cities.
 Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute
Applied Math 40S
Connectivity Matricies - Student Answer Sheet

1.
BOS

ATL

CLT

2.
Atlanta Boston Charlotte
Atlanta 0 1 0
Boston
Charlotte

3.
Atlanta Boston Charlotte
Atlanta 1 0
Boston
Charlotte

0 1 0 0 1 0
  
4. 1 0 1 1 0 1 =
  
0 1 0 0 1 0

5. ____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
3
0 1 0
 
6. 1 0 1 =
 
0 1 0

7.
Atlanta Boston Charlotte
Atlanta
Boston
Charlotte

8. ____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
9. To

 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

 
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
 
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
From  ___
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
 
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

10. To

 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

 
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
 
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
From  ___
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
 
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

11. To

 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

 
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
 
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
From  ___
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
 
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

12. To

 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

 
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
 
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
From  ___
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
 
 ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___