Resolvable path designs

A resolvable (balanced) path design, RBPD(v, k, λ) is the decomposition of λ copies of the complete graph on v vertices into edge-disjoint subgraphs such that each subgraph consists of $\text{v}\text{k}$ vertex-disjoint paths of length k ? 1 (k vertices). It is shown that an RBPD(v, 3, λ) exists if and only if v ≡ 9 (modulo 12/gcd(4, λ)). Moreover, the RBPD(v, 3, λ) can have an automorphism of order $\text{v}\text{3}$. For k > 3, it is shown that if v is large enough, then an RBPD(v, k, 1) exists if and only if v ≡ k² (modulo lcm(2k ? 2, k)). Also, it is shown that the categorical product of a k-factorable graph and a regular graph is also k-factorable. These results are stronger than two conjectures of P. Hell and A. Rosa     

On diameter critical graphs

A graph G is diameter k-critical if the graph has diameter k and the deletion of any edge increases its diameter. We show that every diameter 2-critical graph on v vertices has (i) at most 0.27v² edges, and (ii) average edge degree at most $\text{6}\text{5}$v. We also make a conjecture on the maximal number of edges in a diameter k-critical graph.     

The asymptotic probability that a random graph is a unit interval graph,indifference graph,or proper interval graph

Let G be a graph on v labelled vertices with E edges, without loops or multiple edges. Let v → ∞ and let E=E(v) be a function of v such that lim $\text{E(v)}\text{v}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>2</mtext><mtext>3</mtext>}}\text{=c}$. The limit of the probability that a random graph is a unit interval graph, indifference graph or proper interval graph is exp(?$\text{4}\text{3}$c³).     

Antipodal covering graphs

A graph $\text{Γ}$ of valency k with a group G of automorphisms may be studied via the action of G on the vertex set $\text{V}\text{Γ}$. If G acts transitively on $\text{V}\text{Γ}$, then the notions of primitivity and imprimitivity are meaningful. We consider a natural notion of “block system” for a general graph $\text{Γ}$, which allows us to derive a “quotient” graph Γ whose vertices correspond to the blocks. The ideas are applied to antipodal systems in antipodal graphs: in particular we prove that for an antipodal distance-regular graph, the block size r cannot exceed the valency k; we further show that an antipodal distance-regular graph with r = k is (i) a circuit graph, (ii) a complete bipartite graph, or (iii) a threefold covering of Tutte's trivalent eight-cage.     

Extremal values of the interval number of a graph,II

It is shown that the interval number of a graph on n vertices is at most $\text{[}\text{1}\text{4}\text{(n+1)]}$, and this bound is best possible. This means that we can represent any graph on n vertices as an intersection graph in which the sets assigned to the vertices each consist of the union of at most $\text{[}\text{1}\text{4}\text{(n+1)]}$ finite closed intervals on the real line. This upper bound is attained by the complete bipartite graph K_[n/2],[n/2].     

On a problem of C. C. Chen and D. E. Daykin

Let α(k, p, h) be the maximum number of vertices a complete edge-colored graph may have with no color appearing more than k times at any vertex and not containing a complete subgraph on p vertices with no color appearing more than h times at any vertex. We prove that $\text{α(k, p, h) ≤ h + 1 + (k ? 1){(p ? h ? 1) × (h}{}^{\mathrm{p}}\text{+ 1)}}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>h</mtext>}}$ and obtain a stronger upper bound for α(k, 3, 1). Further, we prove that a complete edge-colored graph with n vertices contains a complete subgraph on p vertices in which no two edges have the same color if

$\text{(}\text{n}\text{3}\text{)>(}\text{p}\text{3}\text{)}\text{Σ}\text{i=1}\text{t}\text{(}\text{e}{}_{\mathrm{i}}\text{2}\text{)}$

where e_i is the number of edges of color i, 1 ≤ i ≤ t.     

A class of facet producing graphs for vertex packing polyhedra

We examine a family of graphs called webs. For integers n ? 2 and $\text{k, 1 ? k ?}\text{1}\text{2}\text{n}$, the web W(n, k) has vertices V_n = {1, …, n} and edges {(i, j): j = i+k, …, i+n ? k, for i?V_n (sums mod n)}. A characterization is given for the vertex packing polyhedron of W(n, k) to contain a facet, none of whose projections is a facet for the lower dimensional vertex packing polyhedra of proper induced subgraphs of W(n, k). Simple necessary and sufficient conditions are given for W(n, k) to contain W(n′, k′) as an induced subgraph; these conditions are used to show that webs satisfy the Strong Perfect Graph Conjecture. Complements of webs are also studied and it is shown that if both a graph and its complement are webs, then the graph is either an odd hole or its complement.     

Neighbourhoods of transitive graphs and GRR's

Let X be a vertex-transitive graph with complement $\text{X}$. We show that if both N, the neighbourhood of a vertex in X, and $\text{N}$, the neighbourhood of a vertex in $\text{X}$, are disconnected, then either X is isomorphic to K₃ × K₃ or both N and $\text{N}$ contain isolated vertices. We characterize the graphs which satisfy this last condition and show in consequence that they admit automorphisms of the form (12)(34). It follows that if X is a GRR for some graph G then at least one of N and $\text{N}$ is connected. (X is said to be a graphical regular representation, or GRR, for G if its automorphism group is isomorphic to G and acts regularly on its vertices.) Using this result we determine those groups generated by their involutions which do not have a GRR. The largest such group has order 18. As a corollary we conclude that all non-abelian simple groups have GRR's.     

Stratification and domination in graphs II

A graph G is 2-stratified if its vertex set is partitioned into two classes (each of which is a stratum or a color class.) We color the vertices in one color class red and the other color class blue. Let F be a 2-stratified graph with one fixed blue vertex v specified. We say that F is rooted at v. The F-domination number of a graph G is the minimum number of red vertices of G in a red-blue coloring of the vertices of G such that every blue vertex v of G belongs to a copy of F rooted at v. In this paper we investigate the F-domination number when (i) F is a 2-stratified path P₃ on three vertices rooted at a blue vertex which is a vertex of degree 1 in the P₃ and is adjacent to a blue vertex and with the remaining vertex colored red, and (ii) F is a 2-stratified K₃ rooted at a blue vertex and with exactly one red vertex.     

Bounds on path connectivity

The path-connectivity of a graph G is the maximal k for which between any k pairs of vertices there are k edge-disjoint paths (one between each pair). An upper bound for the path-connectivity of n^q(q<1) separable graphs [6] is shown to exist.If the edge-connectivity of a graph is K_E then between any two pairs of vertices and for every $\text{t?}\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{E}}$ there exists a t?t′?t+1 such that there are t′ paths between the first pair and $\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{E}}\text{?t′}$ between the second pair. All paths are edge-disjoint.     

Results on the edge-connectivity of graphs

It is shown that if G is a graph of order p ≥ 2 such that deg u + deg v ≥ p ? 1 for all pairs u, v of nonadjacent vertices, then the edge-connectivity of G equals the minimum degree of G. Furthermore, if deg u + deg v ≥ p for all pairs u, v of nonadjacent vertices, then either p is even and G is isomorphic to $\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>p</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{× K}{}_2$ or every minimum cutset of edges of G consists of the collection of edges incident with a vertex of least degree.     

The extremal graph problem of the icosahedron

P. Turán has asked the following question:Let I¹² be the graph determined by the vertices and edges of an icosahedron. What is the maximum number of edges of a graph Gⁿ of n vertices if Gⁿ does not contain I¹² as a subgraph?We shall answer this question by proving that if n is sufficiently large, then there exists only one graph having maximum number of edges among the graphs of n vertices and not containing I¹². This graph Hⁿ can be defined in the following way:Let us divide n ? 2 vertices into 3 classes each of which contains [$\text{(n?2)}\text{3}$] or $\text{[}\text{(n?2)}\text{3}\text{] + 1}$ vertices. Join two vertices iff they are in different classes. Join two vertices outside of these classes to each other and to every vertex of these three classes.     

Constructing trees with prescribed cardinalities for the components of their vertex deleted subgraphs

Consider a vertex v of a tree T. By deleting v and its incidentadges, a family of subtrees {T_l^v,…,T_k^v} and a sequence of strictly positive integers $\text{v}\text{= (s}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>l</mtext>}}\text{,…,s}{}_{\mathrm{k}}\text{)}$ are obtained, where every s_i is the number of vertices in the subtree T_i^v. Let V_T denote the family of these sequences corresponding to the vertices of T. Polynomial time algorithms are described to answer the following questions: Given a family W of strictly positive integer sequences, is there a free tree T such that V_T = W? If there is such a tree, are there two nonisomorphic trees T₁, T₂ having V_T1 = V_T2? Based on these algorithms, an algorithm to construct all the nonisomorphic free trees T having V_T = W can be sketched.     

Ordered colourings of graphs

An ordered colouring of a graph with k colours is a vertex colouring with colours {1, 2,…,k} such that each vertex coloured j is joined to at least one vertex-of colour i for each i less than j. Examples of ordered colourings are those produced by the greedy colouring algorithm. Some properties are investigated of τ(G), the maximum k for which the graph G has an ordered k-colouring (in fact τ(G) is an upper bound for the number of colours used by the greedy algorithm). It is shown that if G has order n, then $\text{τ(G) + τ(}\text{G}\text{) ≤ [}\text{(5n + 2)}\text{4}\text{]}$.     

A lower estimate for the achromatic number of irreducible graphs

The achromatic number of a graph is the largest number of independent sets its vertex set can be split into in such a way that the union of any two of these sets is not independent. A graph is irreducible if no two vertices have the same neighborhood. The achromatic number of an irreducible graph with n vertices is shown to be $\text{≥(}\text{1}\text{2}\text{?0(1))log}\text{n?}\text{log log}\text{n,}$ while an example of Erdös shows that it need not be log n/log 2+2 for any n. The proof uses an indiscernibility argument.     

Complexity of representation of graphs by set systems

Let $\text{F}$ be a family of subsets of S and let G be a graph with vertex set $\text{V={x}{}_{\mathrm{A}}\text{|A ∈}\text{F}\text{}}$ such that: (x_A, x_B) is an edge iff $\text{A?B≠}\text{0}\text{/}$. The family $\text{F}$ is called a set representation of the graph G.It is proved that the problem of finding minimum k such that G can be represented by a family of sets of cardinality at most k is NP-complete. Moreover, it is NP-complete to decide whether a graph can be represented by a family of distinct 3-element sets.The set representations of random graphs are also considered.     

splitting number is NP-complete

We consider two graph invariants that are used as a measure of nonplanarity: the splitting number of a graph and the size of a maximum planar subgraph. The splitting number of a graph G is the smallest integer k⩾0, such that a planar graph can be obtained from G by k splitting operations. Such operation replaces a vertex v by two nonadjacent vertices v₁ and v₂, and attaches the neighbors of v either to v₁ or to v₂. We prove that the splitting number decision problem is NP-complete when restricted to cubic graphs. We obtain as a consequence that planar subgraph remains NP-complete when restricted to cubic graphs. Note that NP-completeness for cubic graphs implies NP-completeness for graphs not containing a subdivision of K₅ as a subgraph.     

An approximation algorithm for the hamiltonian walk problem on maximal planar graphs

A hamiltonian walk of a graph is a shortest closed walk that passes through every vertex at least once, and the length is the total number of traversed edges. The hamiltonian walk problem in which one would like to find a hamiltonian walk of a given graph is NP-complete. The problem is a generalized hamiltonian cycle problem and is a special case of the traveling salesman problem. Employing the techniques of divide-and-conquer and augmentation, we present an approximation algorithm for the problem on maximal planar graphs. The algorithm finds, in O(p²) time, a closed spanning walk of a given arbitrary maximal planar graph, and the length of the obtained walk is at most $\text{3}\text{2}$(p ? 3) if the graph has p (≥ 9) vertices. Hence the worst-case bound is $\text{3}\text{2}$.     

A note on on-line ranking number of graphs

A k-ranking of a graph G = (V, E) is a mapping ϕ: V → {1, 2, ..., k} such that each path with end vertices of the same colour c contains an internal vertex with colour greater than c. The ranking number of a graph G is the smallest positive integer k admitting a k-ranking of G. In the on-line version of the problem, the vertices v ₁, v ², ..., v _n of G arrive one by one in an arbitrary order, and only the edges of the induced graph G[{v ₁, v ₂, ..., v _i }] are known when the colour for the vertex v _i has to be chosen. The on-line ranking number of a graph G is the smallest positive integer k such that there exists an algorithm that produces a k-ranking of G for an arbitrary input sequence of its vertices. We show that there are graphs with arbitrarily large difference and arbitrarily large ratio between the ranking number and the on-line ranking number. We also determine the on-line ranking number of complete n-partite graphs. The question of additivity and heredity is discussed as well.     

Lower bounds on the independence number in terms of the degrees

Wei discovered that the independence number of a graph G is at least Σ_v(1 + d(v))^?1. It is proved here that if G is a connected triangle-free graph on n ≥ 3 vertices and if G is neither an odd cycle nor an odd path, then the bound above can be increased by $\text{n}\text{Δ(Δ + 1)}$, where Δ is the maximum degree. This new bound is sharp for even cycles and for three other graphs. These results relate nicely to some algorithms for finding large independent sets. They also have a natural matrix theory interpretation. A survey of other known lower bounds on the independence number is presented.