Part IB, 2006
Consider the maximal flow problem on a finite set , with source , sink and capacity constraints for . Explain what is meant by a cut and by the capacity of a cut.
Show that the maximal flow value cannot exceed the minimal cut capacity.
Take and suppose that, for and ,
and otherwise. Thus the node set is a square grid of 25 points, with positive flow capacity only between nearest neighbours, and where the capacity of an edge in the grid equals the larger of the distances of its two endpoints from the diagonal. Find a maximal flow from to . Justify your answer.