Total Acquisition in Graphs

Let G be a weighted graph in which each vertex initially has weight 1. A total acquisition move transfers all the weight from a vertex u to a neighboring vertex v, under the condition that before the move the weight on v is at least as large as the weight on u. The (total) acquisition number of G, written at(G), is the minimum size of the set of vertices with positive weight after a sequence of total acquisition moves. Among connected n-vertex graphs, at(G) is maximized by trees. The maximum is Θ(√(n lg n) for trees with diameter 4 or 5. It is⌊(n + 1)/3⌋ for trees with diameter between 6 and (2/3)(n + 1), and it is⌈(2n – 1 – D)/4⌉ for trees with diameter D when (2/3)(n + 1) ≤ D ≤ n - 1. We characterize trees with acquisition number 1, which permits testing at(G) ≤ k in time O(nk+2) on trees. If G ≠ C5, then min{at(G), at()} = 1. If G has diameter 2, then at(G) ≤ 32 ln n ln ln n; we conjecture a constant upper bound. Indeed, at(G) = 1 when G has diameter 2 and no 4-cycle, except for four graphs with acquisition number 2. Deleting one edge of an n-vertex graph cannot increase at by more than 6.84√n, but we construct an n-vertex tree with an edge whose deletion increases it by more than (1/2)√n. We also obtain multiplicative upper bounds under products

Three Existence Problems in Extremal Graph Theory

Proving the existence or nonexistence of structures with specified properties is the impetus for many classical results in discrete mathematics. In this thesis we take this approach to three different structural questions rooted in extremal graph theory. When studying graph representations, we seek efficient ways to encode the structure of a graph. For example, an {\it interval representation} of a graph $G$ is an assignment of intervals on the real line to the vertices of $G$ such that two vertices are adjacent if and only if their intervals intersect. We consider graphs that have {\it bar $k$-visibility representations}, a generalization of both interval representations and another well-studied class of representations known as visibility representations. We obtain results on $\mathcal{F}_k$, the family of graphs having bar $k$-visibility representations. We also study $\bigcup_{k=0}^{\infty} \mathcal{F}_k$. In particular, we determine the largest complete graph having a bar $k$-visibility representation, and we show that there are graphs that do not have bar $k$-visibility representations for any $k$. Graphs arise naturally as models of networks, and there has been much study of the movement of information or resources in graphs. Lampert and Slater \cite{LS} introduced {\it acquisition} in weighted graphs, whereby weight moves around $G$ provided that each move transfers weight from a vertex to a heavier neighbor. Our goal in making acquisition moves is to consolidate all of the weight in $G$ on the minimum number of vertices; this minimum number is the {\it acquisition number} of $G$. We study three variations of acquisition in graphs: when a move must transfer all the weight from a vertex to its neighbor, when each move transfers a single unit of weight, and when a move can transfer any positive amount of weight. We consider acquisition numbers in various families of graphs, including paths, cycles, trees, and graphs with diameter $2$. We also study, under the various acquisition models, those graphs in which all the weight can be moved to a single vertex. Restrictive local conditions often have far-reaching impacts on the global structure of mathematical objects. Some local conditions are so limiting that very few objects satisfy the requirements. For example, suppose that we seek a graph in which every two vertices have exactly one common neighbor. Such graphs are called {\it friendship graphs}, and Wilf~\cite{Wilf} proved that the only such graphs consist of edge-disjoint triangles sharing a common vertex. We study a related structural restriction where similar phenomena occur. For a fixed graph $H$, we consider those graphs that do not contain $H$ and such that the addition of any edge completes exactly one copy of $H$. Such a graph is called {\it uniquely $H$-saturated}. We study the existence of uniquely $H$-saturated graphs when $H$ is a path or a cycle. In particular, we determine all of the uniquely $C_4$-saturated graphs; there are exactly ten. Interestingly, the uniquely $C_{5}$-saturated graphs are precisely the friendship graphs characterized by Wilf

Graphs without induced P5 and C5

Zverovich [Discuss. Math. Graph Theory 23 (2003), 159-162.] has proved that the domination number and connected domination number are equal on all connected graphs without induced P₅ and C₅. Here we show (with an independent proof) that the following stronger result is also valid: Every P₅-free and C₅-free connected graph contains a minimum-size dominating set that induces a complete subgraph