Maximal Matching

Maximal matching is a way of pairing up elements in a network, such as nodes in a graph, so that no two pairs share an element, and you can't add any more pairs without breaking this rule. Imagine trying to match teams for a game: once you've paired up as many teams as possible without any team being in more than one match, you've achieved a maximal matching. It ensures the network is efficiently "covered" without overlaps, helping in resource allocation, scheduling, and network analysis.