Who doesn’t like to make money?

And what if you could turn the problem of making money into the problem of finding the shortest-path? We can do that in at least one particular way: by exploiting arbitrage opportunities.

What is arbitrage?

Arbitrage is the act of buying or selling things across different markets, or in different forms, to profit from differences in prices. And the people who engage in it? They’re known as arbitrageurs — a fancy title indeed.

Let’s start with an example. Say Paul, Peter, and Bob live in a village, where they barter carrots, potatoes, and lettuce. …