Department of Mathematics Elementary Graph Theory Lecture 3

• The complement G′ of G is defined as a simple graph with the same vertex set
as G and two vertices u and v are adjacent only when they are not adjacent in
G.

A graph G is called self-complementary graph if it is isomorphic to its

complement

Problem: If a simple graph with n-vertices is isomorphic with its complement, how
many vertices will that have ?

Solution: Let q be the number of edges of G and q be the number of edges in the
complement G , then

p( p − 1)
q + q =
2
If G is a self-complementary graph, then q = q

p( p − 1) p( p − 1)
 2q =  q=
2 4
Hence, in a self-complementary graph p or p − 1 must be divisible by 4.

** from the above problem we get that, there exist no self-complementary graph of
order 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, 11, …

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Department of Mathematics Elementary Graph Theory Lecture 3

❖ Ramsey Theory

Theorem: For any graph G with six vertices, G or G  contains a triangle.

(Given a group of six people we can always find either three who all know
each other or three who don’t know each other)

Proof: Let v be any vertex of a graph G with six vertices. Since v is adjacent either
in G or in G  to the other five vertices of G.

Assume that, without loss of generality v is adjacent to three vertices u1, u2, u3 in G.

If any two of these vertices of u1, u2 and u3 are adjacent in G, then they are two
vertices of a triangle whose third vertex is v.

If no two of them are adjacent in G, then u1, u2 and u3 are the vertices of a
triangle in G  .

• Graphs with no triangles

A bipartite graph contains no triangle

Problem: How many edges can a simple graph with n vertices have without
containing a triangle?

Solution: If the order of the graph is even , then the complete bipartite graph K n , n
2 2

n2
is a graph with no triangle and has edges. For n is odd number the complete
4
n2 − 1
bipartite graph K n+1 , n−1 has edges.
2 2 4

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Department of Mathematics Elementary Graph Theory Lecture 3

Theorem: (Turan’s Theorem)

Let G be a simple graph on n vertices. If G contains no triangles, then G has at most

 n2 
  edges.
4

Problem: What is the maximum number of edges out of all graph of order 8 without
containing triangles? Construct such a graph.

Solution: By ( Turan’s Theorem ), If G is a simple graph with n vertices and G

 n2 
contains no triangles, then at most   edges.
4

 n 2   82   64 
 q (G ) =   =   =   = 16 edges.
4 4 4

To construct such a graph, we take cardinality of V1 = V2 = 4 and then each vertex

of the set V1 is adjacent with all vertices of the set V2 .

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Department of Mathematics Elementary Graph Theory Lecture 3

❖ Basic Properties

• Walk

A walk is an alternating sequence of vertices and edges of a graph.

Vertex can be repeated

Edges can be repeated

• Open walk
A walk is said to be an open walk if the starting and ending vertices are
different.
• Closed walk
A walk is said to be closed walk if the starting and ending vertices are
identical.
• Trial
A walk with no repeated edges is called trial.

• Circuit
A circuit is a closed walk that does not contain any repeated edges.
• Path
Is a trial in which neither vertices nor edges are repeated.
• Cycle
Is a circuit in which the vertices do not repeated.

A graph

v2v1v3v1v4v1v5v7 is a v2 − v7 walk and it is open, v2 v1v3v1v5v7 v5v2 is a closed walk

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Department of Mathematics Elementary Graph Theory Lecture 3

v2 v1v3v4v1v5v7 is a v2 − v7 trial

v2v3v1v5v6v7 v5v4v1v2 is a closed trial (is a circuit)

v2 v3v1v4 v5v6v7 is a v2 − v7 path , v2v5v7 also is a v2 − v7 path

v2v1v5v4v3v2 is a closed path ( is a cycle)

• Geodesic
A shortest u −v path is called geodesic
• Connected graph
A graph G is said to be connected graph, if every pair of vertices of a graph G
is joined by a path. Otherwise G is disconnected.

Connected graph Disconnected graph

• Component
A maximal connected subgraph of G is called component, thus disconnected
graph has at least two components.
• Length
The length of a walk, trial, path or cycle is its number of edges.
• Distance
The distance between two vertices u and v in a graph G is the minimum
lengths of all u-v path in G, and it is denoted by dG (u , v) . If no u-v path
exists, then dG (u , v) =  .
• Girth
The girth of a graph G is the length of a shortest cycle and is denoted by
gir (G ) .
• Circumference
The circumference of a graph G is the length of a longest cycle and is denoted
by c (G )

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Department of Mathematics Elementary Graph Theory Lecture 3

• Eccentricity
The eccentricity e(v ) of a vertex v in a connected graph G is the maximum
distance from v to other vertices of G.
• Diameter
The diameter of a connected graph G is the maximum eccentricity e(v ) out of
all vertices v in G and it is denoted by diam(G ) .
diam(G ) = max{e(v),  vG} .
• Radius
The radius of a connected graph G is the minimum eccentricity e(v ) out of all
vertices v in G and it is denoted by rad (G ) .
rad (G ) = min{e(v),  vG} .
• Central vertex
A vertex v in a connected graph G is called a central vertex, if the eccentricity
and radius are equal (if e(v) = rad (G ) ).

• Center of a graph
The center of a graph G is the set of all central vertices in G, it is denoted by
z (v ) .

A connected graph G

- e(v1 ) = e(v3 ) = e(v14 ) = e(v16 ) = e(v17 ) = e(v18 ) = 7

e(v2 ) = e(v4 ) = e(v6 ) = e(v11 ) = e(v13 ) = e(v15 ) = 6
e(v5 ) = e(v7 ) = e(v9 ) = e(v12 ) = 5
e(v8 ) = e(v10 ) = 4

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Department of Mathematics Elementary Graph Theory Lecture 3

- diam(G ) = max{e(v),  vG}

= max{4,5,6,7}
=7

- rad (G ) = m i{e(v),  vG}

= min{4,5,6,7}
=4

- v8 and v10 are central vertices because e(v8 ) = e(v10 ) = 4 = rad (G ) .

- Center of a graph G is z (G ) = {v8 , v10 }

A graph

- d H ( a , f ) = 3 , d H ( a , d ) = 3 , d H ( f , e) = 1 .
- gir ( H ) = 4 , length of the cycle cdefc .
- c( H ) = 7 , length of the cycle bcdeflkb .

Ex: if n  2 , then

1. diam( Pn ) = n − 1 and rad ( Pn ) =  n2 

2. diam( K n ) = rad ( K n ) = 1, thus Z ( K n ) = V ( K n ) .
3. diam( S1, n ) = 2 , rad ( S1, n ) = 1 and Z ( S1, n ) = V (v0 ) .
4. : if m, n  2 , diam( K m, n ) = rad ( K m, n ) = 2 , thus Z ( K m, n ) = V ( K m, n ) .

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Department of Mathematics Elementary Graph Theory Lecture 3

Definition: The transmission  (v, G ) of a vertex v in a connected graph G is

defined as:

 ( v, G ) =  dG (u, v)
 u G

Definition: The transmission  ( G ) of a connected graph G is defined as:

 ( G) =   (v, G) =   dG (u, v)
 vG  vG  u G

Definition: The average distance  ( G ) of a connected graph G is the average out of

all distances of the distinct pairs of vertices ( u , v ) in G .

 (G)
 ( G) = , where p is the order of the graph G.
p( p − 1)

Ex: Find the average distance of the connected graph G given in the next figure.

 ( v1 , G ) = 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 = 13
 ( v2 , G ) = 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 = 13
 ( v3 , G ) = 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 = 8
 ( v4 , G ) = 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 10
 ( v5 , G ) = 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 = 12
 ( v6 , G ) = 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 = 12

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Department of Mathematics Elementary Graph Theory Lecture 3

 ( v7 , G) = 1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 10
7
 ( G) =   (v, G) =  (vi , G)
 vG i =1

=  (v1 , G ) +  (v2 , G ) +  (v3 , G) +  (v4 , G) +  (v5 , G) +  (v6 , G) +  ( v7 , G)

= 13 + 13 + 8 + 10 + 12 + 12 + 10
= 78

 (G) 78 78 39
 ( G) = = = = .
p( p − 1) 7(7 − 1) 42 21

Ex: Find the average distance of the path graph Pn .

Sol: First we label the path graph as:

 ( vi , Pn ) = 1 + 2 + + (n − i) + 1 + 2 + + (i − 1) , for i = 1, 2, , n
(n − i )(n − i + 1) (i − 1)(i )
  ( vi , Pn ) = +
2 2
n 2 + n − 2ni − 2i + 2i 2
= .
2
n
Therefore,  ( Pn ) =  (vi , Pn )
i =1
n
n 2 + n − 2ni − 2i + 2i 2
=  2
i =1

n 2 (n ) + n (n ) − 2n ( n ( n2+1) ) − 2( n ( n2+1) ) + 2( n ( n +1)(2 n +1)

)
= 6
2
2
+ n )(2 n +1)
n 3 + n 2 − n 3 − n 2 − n 2 − n + (n
= 3
2

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Department of Mathematics Elementary Graph Theory Lecture 3

−n2 − n + 2n
3
+ n2 + 2 n2 + n
= 3
2
−3n 2 − 3n + 2n3 + 3n 2 + n
=
6
2n3 − 2n 2n(n 2 − 1) n(n − 1)(n + 1)
= = =
6 6 3
n ( n −1)( n +1)
 ( Pn ) n +1
 ( Pn ) = = 3
= .
n(n − 1) n(n − 1) 3

Problem: Find the average distance of the following:

1 −  (Cn ) , 2 −  (Kn ) , 3 −  ( K m, n ) .

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