Solutions to Homework 6

7.2.5;7.2.11;7.3.1;8.2.2;8.2.3
On page 251-286 of the textbook

7.3.11
Recall: Solution to 7.3.10
If G is a connected graph (with n nodes denoted by A1 , ..., An ), then for any 2 nodes there exists a path
to conncet them. Suppose G has a path A1 , A2 , ..., Ak , and A1 is an endpoint of this path which means
G doesnt have edges (A1 , Ak+1 ), (A1 , Ak+2 )..., (A1 , An ). Remove A1 . Then the remaining graph is still
connected. This can be proved by showing that for any 2 nodes (Ai , Aj , 2 i < j n) in the remaining
graph there exists a path to connect them.
Suppose a path in G to connect Ai , Aj is
P := Ai, An1 , ..., Anm , Aj
. (i)If A1 6 P , then this path is what we need.
(ii)If A1 P , then suppose A1 = Ans . Denote
P1 := Ai , ..., Ans1 ; P2 := Ans+1 , ..., Aj
Then Ans1 , Ans+1 {A2 , ..., Ak }. There is a subpath(denoted by Q) of A2 , ..., Ak to connect Ans1 , Ans+1 .
We can combine the 3 paths P1 , Q, P2 to connect Ai , Aj .
There is a difficulty: P1 , Q, P2 may not a path, since P1 , Q, P2 may intersect each otehr. But we can
construct a path: Let us follow the path P1 to its first common node d with Q; then let us follow Q to its
first common node e with P2 ; last let us follow P2 to Aj . Then the nodes we traversed are all distinct. In
deed the nodes on the first part and the third of our walk are distinct because they are nodes of path P ;
similarly, the nodes on the second part are distinct because they are nodes of the path Q; finally, any node
of the second part must be distinct from any node of the first and the third part (except the nodes d,e),
because d, e are the first common node of the P1 , Q and Q, P2 respectively and so the nodes of P1 (Q) that
we passed through before d(e) are not nodes of Q(P2 ) at all. Hence the nodes and deges we have traversed
from a path from Ai , Aj as claimed.
Back to 7.3.11:
G is not a path, but connceted. So G has at least 2 maximal paths (In other words, if P is a maximal path
of G, then every other walk of G that contains P is not a path) whose endpoints are not exactly same. This
means if suppose ones endpoints are (a, b), then the endpoints of the other one must be (a, c) or (b, c) or
(c, d). If remove any one of them, the remaining graph is stll connected. So it has at least 3 vertices such
that if any of them is removed, the remaining graph is still connected.

7.3.12
Prove it by contradiction. Assume G is not a star and the number of nodes of G is > 3. Because G is
connceted, then there exists a path of G whose length is 3 (denoted by A1 , A2 , ..., Ak , k 4, A1 6= Ak )
Then edges (A1 , A2 ) and (A3 , A4 ) do not have a common node which is contradict to the condition. So G
is a star or the number of nodes of G is 3. If the number of nodes of G is 1 or 2, then G is a star. If the
number of nodes of G is 3, G is a star or K3

7.3.13
Prove it by contradiction. Use (m 1)n + 1 nodes to represent the people, and if two people know each
other, there is a edge between the two nodes. Assume that there are at most m 1 people who mutually do
not know each other, and each person knows at most n-1 others.


(m 1)n + 1
Then every m nodes must have at least 1 edge. There are
ways to choose m people
m


(m 1)n 1
from (m 1)n + 1 people. Every edge is counted
times. So the number of edges is
m2

(m 1)n + 1

m
= ((m1)n+1)n .

m
(m

1)n

m2
On the other hand if each person knows at most n-1 others, then there are at most (n 1)((m 1)n + 1)/2
edges.
So
((m 1)n + 1)n
the number of edges (n 1)((m 1)n + 1)/2
m
However,
((m 1)n + 1)n
> (n 1)((m 1)n + 1)/2
m
Its a contradiction.