18,796 research outputs found
Bounds on the maximum multiplicity of some common geometric graphs
We obtain new lower and upper bounds for the maximum multiplicity of some
weighted and, respectively, non-weighted common geometric graphs drawn on n
points in the plane in general position (with no three points collinear):
perfect matchings, spanning trees, spanning cycles (tours), and triangulations.
(i) We present a new lower bound construction for the maximum number of
triangulations a set of n points in general position can have. In particular,
we show that a generalized double chain formed by two almost convex chains
admits {\Omega}(8.65^n) different triangulations. This improves the bound
{\Omega}(8.48^n) achieved by the double zig-zag chain configuration studied by
Aichholzer et al.
(ii) We present a new lower bound of {\Omega}(12.00^n) for the number of
non-crossing spanning trees of the double chain composed of two convex chains.
The previous bound, {\Omega}(10.42^n), stood unchanged for more than 10 years.
(iii) Using a recent upper bound of 30^n for the number of triangulations,
due to Sharir and Sheffer, we show that n points in the plane in general
position admit at most O(68.62^n) non-crossing spanning cycles.
(iv) We derive lower bounds for the number of maximum and minimum weighted
geometric graphs (matchings, spanning trees, and tours). We show that the
number of shortest non-crossing tours can be exponential in n. Likewise, we
show that both the number of longest non-crossing tours and the number of
longest non-crossing perfect matchings can be exponential in n. Moreover, we
show that there are sets of n points in convex position with an exponential
number of longest non-crossing spanning trees. For points in convex position we
obtain tight bounds for the number of longest and shortest tours. We give a
combinatorial characterization of the longest tours, which leads to an O(nlog
n) time algorithm for computing them
Simplicial and Cellular Trees
Much information about a graph can be obtained by studying its spanning
trees. On the other hand, a graph can be regarded as a 1-dimensional cell
complex, raising the question of developing a theory of trees in higher
dimension. As observed first by Bolker, Kalai and Adin, and more recently by
numerous authors, the fundamental topological properties of a tree --- namely
acyclicity and connectedness --- can be generalized to arbitrary dimension as
the vanishing of certain cellular homology groups. This point of view is
consistent with the matroid-theoretic approach to graphs, and yields
higher-dimensional analogues of classical enumerative results including
Cayley's formula and the matrix-tree theorem. A subtlety of the
higher-dimensional case is that enumeration must account for the possibility of
torsion homology in trees, which is always trivial for graphs. Cellular trees
are the starting point for further high-dimensional extensions of concepts from
algebraic graph theory including the critical group, cut and flow spaces, and
discrete dynamical systems such as the abelian sandpile model.Comment: 39 pages (including 5-page bibliography); 5 figures. Chapter for
forthcoming IMA volume "Recent Trends in Combinatorics
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