MAST30011 Graph Theory

Answers and Hints for Problem Set 1

1. The graph has 15 vertices and 15 edges. The degree sequence is (3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1).
There are two paths from the start to the destination.


2. (a) 10
= 45 (b) 4 9 = 36 (c) 32 (d) 16 (e) 15
2
3. No in both cases. (Use Corollary of Handshaking Theorem: the number of vertices of odd degree
must be even. This is clearly true also for multigraphs.)
4. By the Handshaking Theorem we have m2 + n2 = 2|E(G)|. If G contains an odd vertex, then one
of m and n is odd. Hence the other one must be odd as well by this equation.
5. Let G = K6 be the complete graph whose vertices are the six people. Colour an edge blue if
the corresponding people are acquaintances. Colour an edge red if the corresponding people are
not acquaintances. Using this model, the question is equivalent to the statement that for every
red/blue colouring of the edges of K6 , there is a monochromatic triangle (that is, three vertices
such that the three edges between them all have the same colour). Consider an arbitrary red/blue
colouring of the edges of K6 . Let v be a vertex. Of the five edges incident to v at least three
have the same colour. Say vx, vy, vz have the same colour. Without loss of generality all these
edges are blue. If all of xy, xz, yz are red, then x, y, z is a red monochromatic triangle. Otherwise
at least one of xy, xz, yz is blue. Without loss of generality, xy is blue. Thus v, x, y is a blue
monochromatic triangle. In both cases, we have a monochromatic triangle, as desired.
6. No. There are 8 edges incident with the vertex of degree 8. The other two vertices do not have
high enough degree to absorb the other ends of these edges. So this degree sequence would require
a loop on the vertex of degree 8.
7. a = 3 and b = 2.
8. Define the following bijection: (a) = f, (b) = j, (c) = c, (d) = d, (e) = e, (f ) = a, (g) =
k, (h) = b, (j) = h, (k) = g.
is an isomorphism since (ab) = f j, (bc) = jc, etc. (you need to show that (vw) is an edge of
the second graph for each edge vw of the first graph)
9. Hint. Look at the 3-cycle structure.
10. Add a new vertex f and edges cf , df , ef .
11. Say G is a k-regular graph; that is, every vertex in G has degree k. Every vertex v in G has degree
n 1 k in G. Thus G is (n 1 k)-regular.
12. Hint. How many edges must G have? Answer. The graph obtained from P5 by adding an edge
between the two non-adjacent vertices of degree 2.
13. By Q11 the complement of a 3-regular graph of order 6 is 2-regular of order 6. There are two such
graphs: C6 and C3 C3 . Taking complements of these, the 3-regular graphs of order 6 are K3,3
and K3 K2 .

14. Their complements are 1-regular graphs. So there is only one: it has three non-adjacent edges.
The complement of this is the answer.
15.
graph subgraph induced subgraph
H1
Yes
No
H2
Yes
No
H1
No
No

iso. to subgraph
Yes
Yes
Yes

iso. to induced subgraph

No
Yes
Yes

16. Hint. Consider an edge vw and the neighbours of v and w. Solution. Let G be a k-regular
graph with girth 4. Let vw be an edge in G. Let x1 , . . . , xk1 be the neighbours of v besides w.
Let y1 , . . . , yk1 be the neighbours of w besides v. Since G has girth 4, there is no triangle in
G, implying that xi 6= yj for 1 i, j k 1. Hence v, w, x1 , . . . , xk1 , y1 , . . . , yk1 are distinct
vertices, and G has at least 2k vertices.
17. For each pair of distinct vertices v and w, either the edge vw is present or not present. There are
two choices for each pair of distinct vertices. Each set of choices gives a distinct graph. So there
n

n
are 2( 2 ) distinct graphs with vertex set {1, 2, . . . , n}. Similarly, there are (m2 ) distinct graphs with
vertex set {1, 2, . . . , n} and m edges.
18. Suppose for the sake of contradiction that there is a non-Hamiltonian graph with n vertices and
minimum degree at least n/2. Let G be such a graph that is also edge-maximal. That is, if
u and w are non-adjacent vertices in G, then the graph G + uw (obtained by adding the edge
uw) is Hamiltonian. This makes sense since G + uw also has minimum degree at least n/2.
Since G + uw is Hamiltonian, there is a Hamiltonian path in G with endpoints u and w. Let
u = v1 , v2 , . . . , vn = w be such a Hamiltonian path. Let S := {i : 1 i n 2, uvi+1 E(G)}
and T := {i : 2 i n 1, wvi E(G)}. Note that |S| = deg(u) and |T | = deg(w). Thus
|S| n/2 and |T | n/2. Since S T {1, 2, . . . , n 1}, there exists i S T . Hence
(v1 , vi+1 , vi+2 , . . . , vn , vi , vi1 , . . . , v2 ) is a Hamiltonian cycle in G, which is the desired contradiction.
Therefore every graph with n vertices and minimum degree at least n/2 is Hamiltonian.
(b) Let G be the graph consisting of two disjoint complete graphs, each with n/2 vertices. Then
G has n vertices and minimum degree n/2 1, but obviously has no Hamiltonian cycle.