Ars Combinatoria
ISSN 0381-7032 (print), 2817-5204 (online)
Ars Combinatoria is the oldest Canadian journal of combinatorics, established in 1976, dedicated to advancing combinatorial mathematics through the publication of high-quality, peer-reviewed research papers. Over the decades, it has built a strong international reputation and continues to serve as a leading platform for significant contributions to the field.
Open Access: The journal follows the Diamond Open Access model—completely free for both authors and readers, with no article processing charges (APCs).
Publication Frequency: From 2024 onward, Ars Combinatoria publishes four issues annually—in March, June, September, and December.
Scope: Publishes research in all areas of combinatorics, including graph theory, design theory, enumeration, algebraic combinatorics, combinatorial optimization and related fields.
Indexing & Abstracting: Indexed in MathSciNet, Zentralblatt MATH, and EBSCO, ensuring wide visibility and scholarly reach.
Rapid Publication: Submissions are processed efficiently, with accepted papers published promptly in the next available issue.
Print & Online Editions: Issues are available in both print and online formats to serve a broad readership.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/ars159-02
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 159
- Pages: 11-20
- Published: 30/06/2024
After the Chartrand definition of graph labeling, since 1988 many graph families have been labeled through mathematical techniques. A basic approach in those labelings was to find a pattern among the labels and then prove them using sequences and series formulae. In 2018, Asim applied computer-based algorithms to overcome this limitation and label such families where mathematical solutions were either not available or the solution was not optimum. Asim et al. in 2018 introduced the algorithmic solution in the area of edge irregular labeling for computing a better upper-bound of the complete graph \(es(K_n)\) and a tight upper-bound for the complete \(m\)-ary tree \({es(T}_{m,h})\) using computer-based experiments. Later on, more problems like complete bipartite and circulant graphs were solved using the same technique. Algorithmic solutions opened a new horizon for researchers to customize these algorithms for other types of labeling and for more complex graphs. In this article, to compute edge irregular \(k\)-labeling of star \(S_{m,n}\) and banana tree \({BT}_{m,n}\), new algorithms are designed, and results are obtained by executing them on computers. To validate the results of computer-based experiments with mathematical theorems, inductive reasoning is adopted. Tabulated results are analyzed using the law of double inequality and it is concluded that both families of trees observe the property of edge irregularity strength and are tight for \(\left\lceil \frac{|V|}{2} \right\rceil\)-labeling.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/ars159-01
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 159
- Pages: 03-10
- Published: 30/06/2024
A graph \(G\) is called a fractional ID-\((g,f)\)-factor-critical covered graph if for any independent set \(I\) of \(G\) and for every edge \(e \in E(G-I)\), \(G-I\) has a fractional \((g,f)\)-factor \(h\) such that \(h(e) = 1\). We give a sufficient condition using degree condition for a graph to be a fractional ID-\((g,f)\)-factor-critical covered graph. Our main result is an extension of Zhou, Bian, and Wu’s previous result [S. Zhou, Q. Bian, J. Wu, A result on fractional ID-\(k\)-factor-critical graphs, Journal of Combinatorial Mathematics and Combinatorial Computing 87(2013) 229–236] and Yashima’s previous result [T. Yashima, A degree condition for graphs to be fractional ID-\([a,b]\)-factor-critical, Australasian Journal of Combinatorics 65(2016) 191–199].
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/ars158-12
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 158
- Pages: 117-128
- Published: 31/03/2024
In this article, we define \(q\)-generalized Fibonacci polynomials and \(q\)-generalized Lucas polynomials using \(q\)-binomial coefficient and obtain their recursive properties. In addition, we introduce generalized \(q\)-Fibonacci matrix and generalized \(q\)-Lucas matrix, then we derive their basic identities. We define \((k,q,t)\)-symmetric generalized Fibonacci matrix and \((k,q,t)\)-symmetric generalized Lucas matrix, then we give the Cholesky factorization of these matrices. Finally, we give determinantal and permanental representations of these new polynomial sequences.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/ars158-11
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 158
- Pages: 107-115
- Published: 31/03/2024
Stanley considered Dyck paths where each maximal run of down-steps to the \(x\)-axis has odd length; they are also enumerated by (shifted) Catalan numbers. Prefixes of these combinatorial objects are enumerated using the kernel method. A more challenging version of skew Dyck paths combined with Stanley’s restriction is also considered.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/ars158-10
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 158
- Pages: 93-106
- Published: 31/03/2024
For \(r=1,2,…, 6\), we obtain generating functions \(F^{(r)}_{k}(y)\) for words over the alphabet \([k]\), where \(y\) tracks the number of parts and \([y^n]\) is the total number of distinct adjacent \(r\)-tuples in words with \(n\) parts. In order to develop these generating functions for \(1\le r\le 3\), we make use of intuitive decompositions but for larger values of \(r\), we switch to the cluster analysis method for decorated texts that was introduced by Bassino et al. Finally, we account for the coefficients of these generating functions in terms of Stirling set numbers. This is done by putting forward the full triangle of coefficients for all the sub-cases where \(r=5\) and 6. This latter is shown to depend on both periodicity and number of letters used in the \(r\)-tuples.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/ars158-09
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 158
- Pages: 81-92
- Published: 31/03/2024
We consider the following variant of the round-robin scheduling problem: \(2n\) people play a number of rounds in which two opposing teams of \(n\) players are reassembled in each round. Each two players should play at least once in the same team, and each two players should play at least once in opposing teams. We provide an explicit formula for calculating the minimal numbers of rounds needed to satisfy both conditions. Moreover, we also show how one can construct the corresponding playing schedules.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/ars158-08
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 158
- Pages: 67-79
- Published: 31/03/2024
Two binary structures \(\mathfrak{R}\) and \(\mathfrak{R’}\) on the same vertex set \(V\) are \((\leq k)\)-hypomorphic for a positive integer \(k\) if, for every set \(K\) of at most \(k\) vertices, the two binary structures induced by \(\mathfrak{R}\) and \(\mathfrak{R’}\) on \(K\) are isomorphic. A binary structure \(\mathfrak{R}\) is \((\leq k)\)-reconstructible if every binary
structure \(\mathfrak{R’}\) that is \((\leq k)\)-hypomorphic to \(\mathfrak{R}\) is isomorphic to \(\mathfrak{R}\). In this paper, we describe the pairs of \((\leq 3)\)-hypomorphic posets and the pairs of \((\leq 3)\)-hypomorphic bichains. As a consequence, we characterize the \((\leq 3)\)-reconstructible posets and the \((\leq 3)\)-reconstructible bichains. This answers a question suggested by Y. Boudabbous and C. Delhommé during a personal communication.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/ars158-07
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 158
- Pages: 49-66
- Published: 31/03/2024
A tremendous amount of drug experiments revealed that there exists a strong inherent relation between the molecular structures of drugs and their biomedical and pharmacology characteristics. Due to the effectiveness for pharmaceutical and medical scientists of their ability to grasp the biological and chemical characteristics of new drugs, analysis of the bond incident degree (BID) indices is significant of testing the chemical and pharmacological characteristics of drug molecular structures that can make up the defects of chemical and medicine experiments and can provide the theoretical basis for the manufacturing of drugs in pharmaceutical engineering. Such tricks are widely welcomed in developing areas where enough money is lacked to afford sufficient equipment, relevant chemical reagents, and human resources which are required to investigate the performance and the side effects of existing new drugs. This work is devoted to establishing a general expression for calculating the bond incident degree (BID) indices of the line graphs of various well-known chemical structures in drugs, based on the drug molecular structure analysis and edge dividing technique, which is quite common in drug molecular graphs.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/ars158-06
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 158
- Pages: 41-48
- Published: 31/03/2024
In this paper, we introduce a graph structure, called component intersection graph, on a finite dimensional vector space \(\mathbb{V}\). The connectivity, diameter, maximal independent sets, clique number, chromatic number of component intersection graph have been studied.
- Research article
- https://doi.org/10.61091/ars158-05
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 158
- Pages: 35-40
- Published: 31/03/2024
A linear system is a pair \((P,\mathcal{L})\) where \(\mathcal{L}\) is a finite family of subsets on a finite ground set \(P\) such that any two subsets of \(\mathcal{L}\) share at most one element. Furthermore, if for every two subsets of \(\mathcal{L}\) share exactly one element, the linear system is called intersecting. A linear system \((P,\mathcal{L})\) has rank \(r\) if the maximum size of any element of \(\mathcal{L}\) is \(r\). By \(\gamma(P,\mathcal{L})\) and \(\nu_2(P,\mathcal{L})\) we denote the size of the minimum dominating set and the maximum 2-packing of a linear system \((P,\mathcal{L})\), respectively. It is known that any intersecting linear system \((P,\mathcal{L})\) of rank \(r\) is such that \(\gamma(P,\mathcal{L})\leq r-1\). Li et al. in [S. Li, L. Kang, E. Shan and Y. Dong, The finite projective plane and the 5-Uniform linear intersecting hypergraphs with domination number four, Graphs and 34 Combinatorics (2018) , no.~5, 931–945.] proved that every intersecting linear system of rank 5 satisfying \(\gamma(P,\mathcal{L})=4\) can be constructed from a 4-uniform intersecting linear subsystem \((P^\prime,\mathcal{L}^\prime)\) of the projective plane of order 3 satisfying \(\tau(P^\prime,\mathcal{L}^\prime)=\nu_2(P^\prime,\mathcal{L}^\prime)=4\), where \(\tau(P^\prime,\mathcal{L}^\prime)\) is the transversal number of \((P^\prime,\mathcal{L}^\prime)\). In this paper, we give an alternative proof of this result given by Li et al., giving a complete characterization of these 4-uniform intersecting linear subsystems. Moreover, we prove a general case, that is, we prove if $q$ is an odd prime power and \((P,\mathcal{L})\) is an intersecting linear system of rank \((q+2)\) satisfying \(\gamma(P,\mathcal{L})=q+1\), then this linear system can be constructed from a spanning \((q+1)\)-uniform intersecting linear subsystem \((P^\prime,\mathcal{L}^\prime)\) of the projective plane of order \(q\) satisfying \(\tau(P^\prime,\mathcal{L}^\prime)=\nu_2(P^\prime,\mathcal{L}^\prime)=q+1\).
Call for papers
- Proceedings of International Conference on Discrete Mathematics (ICDM 2025) – Submissions are closed
- Proceedings of International Conference on Graph Theory and its Applications (ICGTA 2026)
- Special Issue of Ars Combinatoria on Graph Theory and its Applications (ICGTA 2025)
- MWTA 2025 – Proceedings in Ars Combinatoria




