Central Sets and Radii of the Zero-Divisor Graphs of Commutative Rings

For a commutative ring R with identity, the zero-divisor graph, Γ(R), is the graph with vertices the nonzero zero-divisors of R and edges between distinct vertices x and y whenever xy = 0. This article gives a proof that the radius of Γ(R) is 0, 1, or 2 if R is Noetherian. The center union {0} is shown to be a union of annihilator ideals if R is Artinian. The diameter of Γ(R) can be determined once the center is identified. If R is finite, then the median is shown to be a subset of the center. A dominating set of Γ(R) is constructed using elements of the center when R is Artinian. It is shown that for a finite ring R ? ?₂ × F for some finite field F, the domination number of Γ(R) is equal to the number of distinct maximal ideals of R. Other results on the structure of Γ(R) are also presented.