MTL768: Graph Theory Date: February 14, 2024

Tutorial Sheet 2

II Semester 2023-24 Depertment of Mathematics, IIT Delhi

Question 1. Determine the minimum size of a maximal matching in the cycle Cn .

Question 2. Let G be an X − Y -bigraph such that |N (S)| > S whenever ∅ ̸= S ⊆ X. Prove

that every edge of G belongs to some matching that saturates X.

Question 3. Every component of the symmetric difference of two matchings is a path or an

even cycle.

Question 4. Suppose the bipartite graph G = (V1 , V2 , E) has a perfect matching and every
v ∈ V1 is of degree at least k. Show that G has at least k! perfect matchings.

Question 5. Let G = (V1 , V2 , E) be a bipartite graph with |V1 | = n1 and |V2 | = n2 and the
vertices xi ∈ V1 and yi ∈ V2 indexed such that d(x1 ) ≤ d(x2 ) ≤ . . . ≤ d(xn1 ) and d(y1 ) ≥
d(y2 ) ≥ · · · ≥ d(yn2 ). Then
P show thatP
a sufficient condition for V1 to be matched into V2 is that
n1 ≤ n2 , d(x1 ) > 0, and k1 d(xi ) > k−1
1 d(yj ), 2 ≤ k ≤ n1 .

Question 6. If in a bipartite graph G = (V1 , V2 , E), we have |V1 | ≤ |V2 | and min{d(xi )|xi ∈
V1 } > max{d(yi )|yi ∈ V2 }, then show that V1 can be matched into V2 .

Question 7. Every regular graph of positive even degree has a 2-regular spanning subgraph. (
Convert this problem into a perfect matching problem in bipartite graph)

Question 8. Prove that the Hypercube of dimension n > 1 has a perfect matching.

Question 9. Prove that a tree T can have at most one perfect matching.