Smallest maximally nonhamiltonian graphs

A graphG ismaximally nonhamiltonian iffG is not hamiltonian butG + e is hamiltonian for each edgee inG ^c, i.e., any two non-adjacent vertices ofG are ends of a hamiltonian path. Bollobás posed the problem of finding the least number of edges,f(n), possible in a maximally nonhamiltonian graph of ordern. Results of Bondy show thatf(n) 3/2 n forn 7. We exhibit graphs of even ordern 36 for which the bound is attained. These graphs are the snarks,J _k, of Isaacs and mild variations of them. For oddn 55 we construct graphs from the graphsJ _k showing that in this case,f(n) = 3n + 1/2 or 3n + 3/2 and leave the determination of which is correct as an open problem. Finally we note that the graphsJ _k, k 7 are hypohamiltonian cubics with girth 6.     

A mixed version of Menger's theorem

An(a, b)-n-fan means a union ofn internally disjoint paths. Menger's theorem states that a graphG has an(a, b)-n-fan if and only ifG isn-connected betweena andb. We show thatG contains edge-disjoint(a, b)-n-fans if and only if for anyk withk0min{n–1, |V(G)|–2} and for any subsetX ofV(G)-{a, b} with cardinalityk, G-X is (n-k)-edge-connected betweena andb.     

The Colin de Verdière number and sphere representations of a graph

Colin de Vedière introduced an interesting linear algebraic invariant (G) of graphs. He proved that (G)2 if and only ifG is outerplanar, and (G)3 if and only ifG is planar. We prove that if the complement of a graphG onn nodes is outerplanar, then (G)n–4, and if it is planar, then (G)n–5. We give a full characterization of maximal planar graphs whose complementsG have (G)=n–5. In the opposite direction we show that ifG does not have twin nodes, then (G)n–3 implies that the complement ofG is outerplanar, and (G)n–4 implies that the complement ofG is planar.Our main tools are a geometric formulation of the invariant, and constructing representations of graphs by spheres, related to the classical result of Koebe about representing planar graphs by touching disks. In particular we show that such sphere representations characterize outerplanar and planar graphs.     

Spanning trees with bounded degrees

Lets andk be positive integers. We prove that ifG is ak-connected graph containing no independent set withks+2 vertices thenG has a spanning tree with maximum degree at mosts+1. Moreover ifs3 and the independence number (G) is such that (G)1+k(s–1)+c for some0ck thenG has a spanning tree with no more thanc vertices of degrees+1.     

Packing random items of three colors

Consider three colors 1,2,3, and forj3, considern items (X _i,j)in of colorj. We want to pack these items inn bins of equal capacity (the bin size is not fixed, and is to be determined once all the objects are known), subject to the condition that each bin must contain exactly one item of each color, and that the total item sizes attributed to any given bin does not exceed the bin capacity. Consider the stochastic model where the random variables (X _i,jj)in,j3 are independent uniformly distributed over [0,1]. We show that there is a polynomial-time algorithm that produces a packing which has a wasted spaceK logn with overwhelming probability.Work partially supported by an N.S.F. grant.     

Cross-monotone subsequences

Two finite real sequences (a ₁,...,a _k ) and (b ₁,...,b _k ) are cross-monotone if each is nondecreasing anda _i+1–a _i b _i+1–b _i for alli. A sequence (₁,..., _n ) of nondecreasing reals is in class CM(k) if it has disjointk-term subsequences that are cross-monotone. The paper shows thatf(k), the smallestn such that every nondecreasing (₁,..., _n ) is in CM(k), is bounded between aboutk ²/4 andk ₂/2. It also shows thatg(k), the smallestn for which all (₁,..., _n ) are in CM(k)and eithera _k b ₁ orb _k a ₁, equalsk(k–1)+2, and thath(k), the smallestn for which all (₁,..., _n ) are in CM(_k)and eithera ₁b ₁...a _k b _k orb ₁a ₁...b _k a _k , equals 2(k–1)²+2.The results forf andg rely on new theorems for regular patterns in (0, 1)-matrices that are of interest in their own right. An example is: Every upper-triangulark ²×k ² (0, 1)-matrix has eitherk 1's in consecutive columns, each below its predecessor, ork 0's in consecutive rows, each to the right of its predecessor, and the same conclusion is false whenk ² is replaced byk ²–1.     

The tree number of a graph with a given girth

A family of subtrees of a graphG whose edge sets form a partition of the edge set ofG is called atree decomposition ofG. The minimum number of trees in a tree decomposition ofG is called thetree number ofG and is denoted by(G). It is known that ifG is connected then(G) |G|/2. In this paper we show that ifG is connected and has girthg 5 then(G) |G|/g + 1. Surprisingly, the case wheng = 4 seems to be more difficult. We conjecture that in this case(G) |G|/4 + 1 and show a wide class of graphs that satisfy it. Also, some special graphs like complete bipartite graphs andn-dimensional cubes, for which we determine their tree numbers, satisfy it. In the general case we prove the weaker inequality(G) (|G| – 1)/3 + 1.     

Some Ramsey-Turán type results for hypergraphs

To everyk-graphG let(G) be the minimal real number such that for every>0 andn>n ₀(,G) everyk-graphH withn vertices and more than (+) ( ) edges contains a copy ofG. The real number (G) is defined in the same way adding the constraint that all independent sets of vertices inH have sizeo(n). Answering a problem of Erds and Sós it is shown that there exist infinitely manyk-graphs with 0<(G)<(G) for everyk3. It is worth noting that we were unable to find a singleG with the above property.This paper was written while the authors were visiting AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ 07974.     

Gröbner bases and triangulations of the second hypersimplex

The algebraic technique of Gröbner bases is applied to study triangulations of the second hypersimplex (2,n). We present a quadratic Gröbner basis for the associated toric idealK(K _n ). The simplices in the resulting triangulation of (2,n) have unit volume, and they are indexed by subgraphs which are linear thrackles [28] with respect to a circular embedding ofK _n . Forn6 the number of distinct initial ideals ofI(K _n ) exceeds the number of regular triangulations of (2,n); more precisely, the secondary polytope of (2,n) equals the state polytope ofI(K _n ) forn5 but not forn6. We also construct a non-regular triangulation of (2,n) forn9. We determine an explicit universal Gröbner basis ofI(K _n ) forn8. Potential applications in combinatorial optimization and random generation of graphs are indicated.Research partially supported by a doctoral fellowship of the National University of Mexico, the National Science Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the U.S. Army Research Office (through ACSyAM/MSI, Cornell).     

On monotone and convex approximation by algebraic polynomials

The following results are obtained: If >0, 2, [3, 4], andf is a nondecreasing (convex) function on [–1, 1] such thatE _n (f) n ^– for any n>, then E _n ⁽¹⁾ (f)Cn ^– (E _n ⁽²⁾ (f)Cn ^–) for n>, where C=C(), E_n(f) is the best uniform approximation of a continuous function by polynomials of degree (n–1), and E _n ⁽¹⁾ (f) (E _n ⁽²⁾ (f)) are the best monotone and convex approximations, respectively. For =2 ( [3, 4]), this result is not true.Published in Ukrainskii Matematicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 46, No. 9, pp. 1266–1270, September, 1994.     

Turán's extremal problem in random graphs: Forbidding odd cycles

For 0<1 and graphsG andH, we writeGH if any -proportion of the edges ofG span at least one copy ofH inG. As customary, we writeC ^k for a cycle of lengthk. We show that, for every fixed integerl1 and real >0, there exists a real constantC=C(l, ), such that almost every random graphG _{n, p} withp=p(n)Cn ^–1+1/2l satisfiesG _n,p1/2+ C ^2l+1. In particular, for any fixedl1 and >0, this result implies the existence of very sparse graphsG withG _1/2+ C ^2l+1.The first author was partially supported by NSERC. The second author was partially supported by FAPESP (Proc. 93/0603-1) and by CNP_q (Proc. 300334/93-1). The third author was partially sopported by KBN grant 2 1087 91 01.     

Finite digraphs with given regular automorphism groups

With five exceptions, every finite regular permutation group occurs as the automorphism group of a digraph.One of the corollaries: given a finite groupG of ordern, there is a commutative semigroupS of order 2n+2 such that AutSG. The problem whether a latticeL of order Cn with AutLG exists (for some constantC), remains open.     

Harmonic analysis on tori

We consider measurable subsets {ofR}ⁿ with 0<m()<, and we assume that has a spectral set . (In the special case when is also assumed open, may be obtained as the joint spectrum of a family of commuting self-adjoint operators {H _k: 1kn} in L ² () such that each H _k is an extension of i(/x _k) on C _c (), k=1, ..., n.)It is known that is a fundamental domain for a lattice if is itself a lattice. In this paper, we consider a class of examples where is not assumed to be a lattice. Instead is assumed to have a certain inhomogeneous form, and we prove a necessary and sufficient condition for to be a fundamental domain for some lattice in {ofR}ⁿ. We are thus able to decide the question, fundamental domain or not, by considering only properties of the spectrum . Our criterion is obtained as a corollary to a theorem concerning partitions of sets which have a spectrum of inhomogeneous form.Work supported in part by the NSF.Work supported in part by the NSRC, Denmark.     

Room designs and one-factorizations

The existence of a Room square of order 2n is known to be equivalent to the existence of two orthogonal one-factorizations of the complete graph on 2n vertices, where orthogonal means any two one-factors involved have at most one edge in common. DefineR(n) to be the maximal number of pairwise orthogonal one-factorizations of the complete graph onn vertices.The main results of this paper are bounds on the functionR. If there is a strong starter of order 2n–1 thenR(2n) 3. If 4n–1 is a prime power, it is shown thatR(4n) 2n–1. Also, the recursive construction for Room squares, to obtain, a Room design of sidev(u – w) +w from a Room design of sidev and a Room design of sideu with a subdesign of sidew, is generalized to sets ofk pairwise orthogonal factorizations. It is further shown thatR(2n) 2n–3.     

On elementary equivalence and isomorphism of clone segments

The principal application of a general theorem proved here shows that for any choice 1mnp of integers there exist metric spacesX andY such that the initialk-segments of their clones of continuous maps coincide exactly whenkm, are isomorphic exactly whenkn, and are elementarily equivalent exactly whenkp.Dedicated to Prof. László Fuchs on the occasion of his 70th birthday     

Maximal order for quadratures usingn evaluations

The problem is to find approximationsI (f; h) to the integralI(f; h)= ₀ ^h f. Such an approximation has local orderp ifI(f; h)–I (f; h)=O(h ^p ) ash0. Let(n) denote the maximal local order possible for a method usingn evaluations of a function or its derivatives. We show that (n)=2n+1 if the information used is Hermitian. This is conjectured to be true in general. The conjecture is established for all methods using three or fewer evaluations.This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant MCS75-222-55 and the Office of Naval Research under Contract N00014-76-C-0370, NR 044-422. Numerical results reported in this paper were obtained through the computing facilities of the University of Maryland.     

Regressions and monotone chains II: The poset of integer intervals

A regressive function (also called a regression or contractive mapping) on a partial order P is a function mapping P to itself such that (x)x. A monotone k-chain for is a k-chain on which is order-preserving; i.e., a chain x ₁<...ksuch that (x ₁)...(x_k). Let P _nbe the poset of integer intervals {i, i+1, ..., m} contained in {1, 2, ..., n}, ordered by inclusion. Let f(k) be the least value of n such that every regression on P _nhas a monotone k+1-chain, let t(x,j) be defined by t(x, 0)=1 and t(x,j)=x ^t(x,j–1). Then f(k) exists for all k (originally proved by D. White), and t(2,k) < f(K) <t( + _k, k) , where _k 0 as k. Alternatively, the largest k such that every regression on P _nis guaranteed to have a monotone k-chain lies between lg^*(n) and lg^*(n)–2, inclusive, where lg^*(n) is the number of appliations of logarithm base 2 required to reduce n to a negative number. Analogous results hold for choice functions, which are regressions in which every element is mapped to a minimal element.     

Steiner minimal trees for regular polygons

Fifty years ago Jarnik and Kössler showed that a Steiner minimal tree for the vertices of a regularn-gon contains Steiner points for 3 n5 and contains no Steiner point forn=6 andn13. We complete the story by showing that the case for 7n12 is the same asn13. We also show that the set ofn equally spaced points yields the longest Steiner minimal tree among all sets ofn cocircular points on a given circle.     

Twisted derivations and distinct sets of lines that cover the same pairs of points

A partial projective plane of ordern consists of lines andn ² +n + 1 points such that every line hasn+1 points and distinct lines meet in a unique point. Suppose that two essentially different partial projective planes and of ordern, n a perfect square, that are defined on the same set of points cover the same pairs of points. For sufficiently largen we show that this implies that and have at leastn(n+1) lines. This bound is sharp and there exist essentially two different types of examples meeting the bound.As an application, we can show that derived planes provide an example for a pair of projective planes of square order with as much structure as possible in common, that is, as many lines as possible in common. Furthermore, we present a new method (twisted derivations) to obtain planes from one another by replacing the same number of lines as in a derivation.     

Random graphs and covering graphs of posets

For a graph G, we define c(G) to be the minimal number of edges we must delete in order to make G into a covering graph of some poset. We prove that, if p=n ^-1+(n) ,where (n) is bounded away from 0, then there is a constant k ₀>0 such that, for a.e. G _p , c(G _p )k ₀ n ¹⁺⁽ⁿ⁾ .In other words, to make G _p into a covering graph, we must almost surely delete a positive constant proportion of the edges. On the other hand, if p=n ^-1+(n) , where (n)0, thenc(G _p )=o(n ¹⁺⁽ⁿ⁾ ), almost surely.Partially supported by MCS Grant 8104854.