In
mathematics and
computer science,
graph theory is the study of
graphs, which are mathematical structures used to model pairwise relations between objects. A graph in this context is made up of
vertices,
nodes, or
points which are connected by
edges,
arcs, or
lines. A graph may be
undirected, meaning that there is no distinction between the two vertices associated with each edge, or its edges may be
directed from one vertex to another; see
Graph (discrete mathematics) for more detailed definitions and for other variations in the types of graph that are commonly considered. Graphs are one of the prime objects of study in
discrete mathematics.