Measurements of edge-uncolorability

Cubic bridgeless graphs with chromatic index four are called uncolorable. We introduce parameters measuring the uncolorability of those graphs and relate them to each other. For k=2,3, let c_k be the maximum size of a k-colorable subgraph of a cubic graph G=(V,E). We consider r₃=|E|?c₃ and . We show that on one side r₃ and r₂ bound each other, but on the other side that the difference between them can be arbitrarily large. We also compare them to the oddness ω of G, the smallest possible number of odd circuits in a 2-factor of G. We construct cyclically 5-edge connected cubic graphs where r₃ and ω are arbitrarily far apart, and show that for each 1c<2 there is a cubic graph such that ωcr₃. For k=2,3, let ζ_k denote the largest fraction of edges that can be k-colored. We give best possible bounds for these parameters, and relate them to each other.