The number of independent sets of tricyclic graphs

AbstractLet Tn be the class of tricyclic graphs G on n vertices. In this work, the graphs in Tn with the smallest number of independent sets are characterized

Trees with Given Stability Number and Minimum Number of Stable Sets

We study the structure of trees minimizing their number of stable sets for given order $n$ and stability number $\alpha$. Our main result is that the edges of a non-trivial extremal tree can be partitioned into $n-\alpha$ stars, each of size $\lceil \frac{n-1}{n-\alpha} \rceil$ or $\lfloor \frac{n-1}{n-\alpha}\rfloor$, so that every vertex is included in at most two distinct stars, and the centers of these stars form a stable set of the tree.Comment: v2: Referees' comments incorporate

A characterization of graphs with rank 5

AbstractThe rank of a graph G is defined to be the rank of its adjacency matrix. In this paper, we consider the following problem: what is the structure of a connected graph G with rank 5? or equivalently, what is the structure of a connected n-vertex graph G whose adjacency matrix has nullity n-5? In this paper, we completely characterize connected graphs G whose adjacency matrix has rank 5