Graph Coloring

GRAPH THEORY
Learning Outcomes

• 1. Understand the concept of graph coloring.

• 2. Apply the theories to graph coloring.
• 3. Develop appreciation of graph theory.
Introduction
•
In graph theory, graph coloring is a special case of graph labeling; it is an
assignment of labels traditionally called "colors" to elements of a graph
subject to certain constraints. In its simplest form, it is a way of coloring
the vertices of a graph such that no two adjacent vertices are of the same
color; this is called a vertex coloring. Similarly, an edge coloring assigns a
color to each edge so that no two adjacent edges are of the same color,
and a face coloring of a planar graph assigns a color to each face or
region so that no two faces that share a boundary have the same color.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_graph_coloring
Activity# 22 (Collaboration)
• Color each vertex such that the least colors of crayons or fill of computer colors
can be used. You may repeat colors as long as they are not next to each other.

• What did you notice about the number of colors per figure?
Analysis (communication)

• Lets recall that a planar graph is a graph such that no edges cross each other.
There are two theorems that are notable: 2-colorable graph theorem and the four-
colorable graph theorem.
• Chromatic number is the minimum number of colors to color all the vertices,
so that no two adjacent vertices have the same color.
• The 2-colorable graph theorem states that, let G be a 2-colorable graph, which
means we can color every vertex either red or blue, and no edge will have both
endpoints colored the same color.
Four-color Theorem: In mathematics, the four color theorem, or the four
color map theorem, states that, given any separation of a plane into contiguous regions,
producing a figure called a map, no more than four colors are required to color the
regions of the map so that no two adjacent regions have the same color.

In other words,

Instead of coloring the vertices, the regions of the graph are colored. The four-color
theorem state that at most 4 colors are needed to color a planar graph. Such that no
adjacent regions share the same color. The following shows this,
Abstraction (Critical Thinking)
• Given a copy of the graph, Use the
four (4) colors such that no two
colors are shared by adjacent regions.
Is this possible?
Application (Creativity)
• Color the vertices of graph 1 and 2 while color the region of graph 3 and 4. Find
the chromatic number of each graph?
• 1.) 2.)

• 3.) 4.)