Min-Sheng Lin

Information Processing Letters 102 (2007)

143–146

Advisor: Yue-Li Wang

Presented by Ying-Jhih Chen

1
 Outline
Interval Graphs
The number of Vertex Covers
The number of Minimal Vertex Covers
Conclusion

2
 Interval Graphs
An intersection graph
intervals on the real line

3
 An Example of Interval Graphs
4
4 8

1 1 3 5 3 7
2 2 6

2
1

4 3
4
 Vertex Covers and Minimal
Vertex Covers
2

3
4

{2,3,4} is a vertex cover, but not minimal

{2,3} is a minimal vertex cover, because no proper subset
of that is a vertex cover.

5
 Number of Vertex Covers
2

4 3

Including vertex 4
Not including vertex 4

6
 Including Vertex 4
Total:5 2

1
4 3
Including vertex 4 and 3:{4,3,2,1}, {4,3,2}, {4,3,1}
2 2
1
1
4 3
4 3 4 3
Including vertex 4 and not including 3 but including
neighborhood of 3:{4,2,1},{4,2}
1 2 2
4 4
7
 Not Including Vertex 4
2

1
4 3
Not including vertex 4: including neighborhood of vertex
4:{3,2,1},{3,2}
2 2
1
3 3

We have 2
So the number of vertex covers is 5+2=7

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 Minimal Vertex Covers
2 Empty
set!
1
4 3
M.V.C. = (Not including vertex 4 of M.V.C.) ∪
(Including vertex 4 but not 3 of M.V.C.) ∪ (Including
vertex 4 and 3 but not 2 of M.V.C.) ∪ (Including vertex 4,
3 and 2 of M.V.C.)
 Including vertex 4, 3 and 2 of M.V.C. is an empty set
M.V.C. = (Not including vertex 4 of M.V.C.) ∪
(Including vertex 4 but not 3 of M.V.C.) ∪ (Including
vertex 4 and 3 but not 2 of M.V.C.)
9
 Number of Minimal Vertex
Covers
2
Total:3 1

4 3
2
Not including vertex 4: {2,3}
3

Including vertex 4 but not 3: {4,2}

2

Including vertex 4, 3 but not 2: {4,3,1}

1
4 3
10
 Conclusion
An O(|V |)-time algorithm to count the number of vertex
covers
An O(|V |)-time algorithm to count the number of
minimal vertex covers

11