Question

Postman needs to visit all 5 geographically distributed post offices beginning and ending at the same post office and without visiting any other post office twice. We need to find the optimum path for the postman so that he covers the minimum possible distance. This is an example of:

• A. Travelling Salesman problem
• B. Chinese Postman problem
• C. Travelling Postman problem
• D. Chinese Salesman problem

Hint:

In problems like the Travelling Postman Problem, the goal is to find an optimal solution where every edge (or path) is covered at least once with the minimum possible distance. This requires different algorithms from the Travelling Salesman Problem.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

This problem is an example of the Travelling Postman Problem. It is similar to the Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP), but the key difference is that in the Travelling Postman Problem, the postman must cover each edge (path between two points) at least once while minimizing the total distance traveled. The TSP is concerned with visiting each node once and returning to the origin, while the Travelling Postman Problem focuses on the minimum distance to cover the required paths. In this case, the postman is asked to visit all post offices, starting and ending at the same location, and without visiting any post office twice. This aligns with the Travelling Postman Problem.