MST

MST is an acronym that can refer to several concepts in different domains. The most common usages are in timekeeping, mathematics and computer science, and academia. The meaning depends on context, country, and field.

In timekeeping, Mountain Standard Time (MST) is a time zone used in parts of the western United States and Canada. It is UTC-7. During the summer, many locations observe daylight saving and switch to Mountain Daylight Time (MDT), which is UTC-6. Some areas, notably most of Arizona, do not observe daylight saving and stay on MST year-round, while others such as the Navajo Nation in Arizona and portions of New Mexico observe DST.

In mathematics and computer science, the minimum spanning tree (MST) is a concept in graph theory. Given a connected weighted undirected graph, an MST is a spanning tree with the minimum possible sum of edge weights. Any spanning tree achieving this minimum is an MST. For a graph with n vertices, an MST has n-1 edges. Standard algorithms to find an MST include Kruskal’s algorithm, Prim’s algorithm, and Boruvka’s algorithm. MSTs are used in applications such as designing cost-efficient networks (telecommunications or computer networks), improving clustering techniques, and providing heuristic solutions for related optimization problems.

In academia, MST can denote various master’s degree programs, commonly Master of Science in Technology. The exact interpretation depends on the institution and program nomenclature.

Overall, MST is a multi-domain acronym with distinct meanings in time zones, graph theory, and higher education, and the intended sense is clarified by the surrounding context.