(3) Dijkstra's algorithm is for finding shortest paths in certain types of weighted graphs. it doesn't directly have anything to do with probabilities, you'll have to be more specific in what your problem is and why you think Dijkstra's Algorithm will help - luke

now,I want something from you .can you explain,deeply, "Dijkstra's algorithm is for finding shortest paths in certain types of weighted graphs" ,with more specific explanation, - gcc

@gcc: that's a wikipedia-ready question. Look there and then refine your question if you have specific concerns. - Chris Farmer

Yes. Without doubt there are events whose probability can be determined using Dijkstra's algorithm. - user207442

I think this would be a good question worth debating whether it has any merit. I mean, let's say we have a state machine with 14 paths to get from State A to State Z (where you cannot go directly from A to Z) and we know what the probabilities are of going from any one state to another state. One would think that you could apply Dijkstra's algorithm to find the shortest path which would give you a ceiling of the probability of getting from A to Z. Given that there are other possible paths, that overall probability goes down. So this might be worth debating... - Jaxidian

(1) That has to be one of the weirdest algorithm questions I've ever seen... - Kena

@Kena, and at some times, the weirdest questions bring new surprises. - Guru

@gcc: Imagine you live on an island named A. All around this island are lots of other islands. Some of the islands have bridges between them. To cross any one bridge you must pay fee. The amount of the fee is different for different bridges. If you have to travel to one of the other islands (which is named K) you will want to find the least costly way to get there. If you had a map of the islands showing the cost of crossing each bridge you could use Dijkstra's algorithm to calculate the cheapest path from A to K. The islands are nodes and the bridges are edges and the fees are costs - nategoose

(1) @gcc: The collection of nodes and edges (and optionally costs and direction and other properties of edges) is known as a graph in Mathematics. You can model many things as a graph besides islands and bridges, and it is possible (even likely) that Dijkstra's algorithm may be useful for working out the most probable occurrence out of a set of possibilities. Since this is not the most straightforward application of Dijkstra's algorithm you probably need to become familiar with using it for islands and bridges before even trying to use it for probabilities. - nategoose

(1) Can those people who are voting to reopen this question please edit the question so that it makes sense otherwise it will just be closed again. - Mark Byers