Institut für

Operations Research

ETH Zentrum, CLP D7

Clausiusstrasse 45
Gyula Karolyi 2 48 15 karolyi@ifor.math.ethz.ch CH-8092 Zürich

Exer ises in Graph Theory I

1. Consider the following three graphs with four verti es: P3 , C4 and the edge-graph of a tetrahe-
dron. Write down the adja en y and the in iden e matri es for ea h. Cal ulate the square and
the ube of the adja en y matri es. Can you interpret the results?
2. Determine the number of dierent mole ules that have the hemi al formula C5 H12 .
3. Let G be a simple graph with at least two verti es. Prove that G must ontain two or more
verti es of the same degree.
4. Can you draw a simple graph on six verti es whose degrees are (a) 5, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2 (b) 5, 5, 5, 5, 3, 3
( ) 5, 5, 4, 3, 3, 2 ? Can you draw su h a multi-graph?
5. By suitably lettering the verti es, show that the rst two graphs below are isomorphi . Explain
why the other two graphs are not isomorphi .

6. The line graph L(G) of a simple graph G is the graph whose verti es are the edges of G, two
of them being adja ent if and only if they have a ommon endpoint in G. Find an expression
for the number of edges of L(G) in terms of the degrees of the verti es of G.
7. An automorphism of a simple graph G is an isomorphism from G to G.
(a) Show that the automorphisms of G form a group under omposition.
(b) Determine the group of automorphisms for ea h graph in the rst exer ise.
( ) Find the automorphism group of the Petersen graph, whi h is the rst graph depi ted in
Exer ise 5.
8. Show that every automorphism of a tree xes either a vertex or an edge of the tree.
9. (Just for the fun of it.) Find a solution of `the problem of four ubes' for the following set of
ubes. (Note that in this ase there are several solutions.)

Y G Y Y
R G B R R G B G R Y R B R G R Y
Y R G B