This maximum flow algorithm repeatedly augments along a shortest residual path found by Breadth-first search. Residual distances from the source never decrease. If the same arc becomes saturated again after being restored by a reverse augmentation, the distance to its tail has increased by at least two. Thus each arc is critical only times, yielding augmentations. Each search costs , so the total time is . Termination with no residual source-sink path supplies a max-flow min-cut theorem certificate.

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The Edmonds-Karp algorithm is an efficient implementation of the Ford-Fulkerson method for computing the maximum flow in a flow network. It uses breadth-first search (BFS) to find augmenting paths in the network, which makes it run in polynomial time. ### Key Features: 1. **Flow Network**: A flow network consists of nodes (vertices) connected by directed edges, each with a specified capacity.