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.

Shin-Shin Kao1, Cheng-Kuan Lin2, Hua-Min Huang3, Lih-Hsing Hsu4
1Department of Applied Mathematics, Chung-Yuan Christian University
2Department of Computer Science, National Chiao Tung University
3Department of Mathematics, National Central University
4Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Providence University
Abstract:

A graph \(G\) is pancyclic if it contains a cycle of every length from 3 to \(|V(G)|\) inclusive. A graph \(G\) is panconnected if there exists a path of length \(l\) joining any two different vertices \(x\) and \(y\) with \(d_G(x,y) \leq l \leq |V(G)| – 1\), where \(d_G(x,y)\) denotes the distance between \(x\) and \(y\) in \(G\). A hamiltonian graph \(G\) is panpositionable if for any two different vertices \(x\) and \(y\) of \(G\) and any integer \(k\) with \(d_G(x,y) \leq k \leq |V(G)|/2\), there exists a hamiltonian cycle \(C\) of \(G\) with \(d_C(x,y) = k\), where \(d_C(x,y)\) denotes the distance between \(x\) and \(y\) in a hamiltonian cycle \(C\) of \(G\). It is obvious that panconnected graphs are pancyclic, and panpositionable graphs are pancyclic.

The above properties can be studied in bipartite graphs after some modification. A graph \(H = (V_0 \cup V_1, E)\) is bipartite if \(V(H) = V_0 \cup V_1\) and \(E(H)\) is a subset of \(\{(u,v) | u \in V_0 \text{ and } v \in V_1\}\). A graph is bipancyclic if it contains a cycle of every even length from 4 to \(2\lfloor |V(H)|/2 \rfloor\) inclusive. A graph \(H\) is bipanconnected if there exists a path of length \(l\) joining any two different vertices \(x\) and \(y\) with \(d_H(x,y) \leq l \leq |V(H)| – 1\), where \(d_H(x,y)\) denotes the distance between \(x\) and \(y\) in \(H\) and \(l – d_H(x,y)\) is even. A hamiltonian graph \(H\) is bipanpositionable if for any two different vertices \(x\) and \(y\) of \(H\) and for any integer \(k\) with \(d_H(x,y) \leq k \leq |V(H)|/2\), there exists a hamiltonian cycle \(C\) of \(H\) with \(d_C(x,y) = k\), where \(d_C(x,y)\) denotes the distance between \(x\) and \(y\) in a hamiltonian cycle \(C\) of \(H\) and \(k – d_H(x,y)\) is even. It can be shown that bipanconnected graphs are bipancyclic, and bipanpositionable graphs are bipancyclic.

In this paper, we present some examples of pancyclic graphs that are neither panconnected nor panpositionable, some examples of panconnected graphs that are not panpositionable, and some examples of graphs that are panconnected and panpositionable, for nonbipartite graphs. Corresponding examples for bipartite graphs are discussed. The existence of panpositionable (or bipanpositionable, resp.) graphs that are not panconnected (or bipanconnected, resp.) is still an open problem.

Fulvio Zuanni1
1Department of Electrical and Information Engineering University of L’ Aquila Via G. Gronchi, 18 1-67100 L’Aquila Italy
Abstract:

In \([2]\) Stefano Innamorati and Mauro Zannetti gave a characterization of the planes secant to a non-singular quadric in \({P}G(4, q)\). Their result is based on a particular hypothesis (which we call “polynomial”) that, as the same authors wrote at the end of the paper, could not exclude possible sporadic cases. In this paper, we improve their result by giving a characterization without the “polynomial” hypothesis. So, possible sporadic cases are definitely excluded.

Daqing Yang1
1Center for Discrete Mathematics, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350002 China
Abstract:

This paper generalizes the results of Guiduli [B. Guiduli, On incidence coloring and star arboricity of graphs. Discrete Math. \(163
(1997), 275-278]\) on the incidence coloring of graphs to the fractional incidence coloring. Tight asymptotic bounds analogous to Guiduli’s results are given for the fractional incidence chromatic number of graphs. The fractional incidence chromatic number of circulant graphs is studied. Relationships between the \(k\)-tuple incidence chromatic number and the incidence chromatic number of the direct products and lexicographic products of graphs are established. Finally, for planar graphs \(G\), it is shown that if \(\Delta(G) \neq 6\), then \(\chi_i(G) \leq \Delta(G) + 5\); if \(\Delta(G) = 6\), then \(\chi_i(G) \leq \Delta(G) + 6\); where \(\chi_i(G)\) denotes the incidence chromatic number of \(G\). This improves the bound \(\chi_i(G) \leq \Delta(G) + 7\) for planar graphs given in [M. Hosseini Dolama, E. Sopena, X. Zhu, Incidence coloring of k-degenerated graphs, Discrete Math. \(283 (2004)\), no. \(1-3, 121-128]\).

Xiang’en Chen1, Keyi Su1, Bing Yao1
1College of Mathematics and Information Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730070, P R China
Abstract:

Let \(P(G, \lambda)\) be the chromatic polynomial of a graph \(G\). A graph \(G\) is chromatically unique if for any graph \(H\), \(P(H, \lambda) = P(G, \lambda)\) implies \(H \cong G\). Some sufficient conditions guaranteeing that certain complete tripartite graph \(K(l, n, r)\) is chromatically unique were obtained by many scholars. Especially, in 2003, H.W. Zou showed that if \(n > \frac{1}{3}(m^2+k^2+mk+2\sqrt{m^2 + k^2 + mk} + m – k)\), where \(n, k\), and \(m\) are non-negative integers, then \(K(n – m, n, n + k)\) is chromatically unique (or simply \(\lambda\)-unique). In this paper, we show that for any positive integers \(n, m\), and \(k\), let \(G = K(n – m, n, n + k)\), where \(m \geq 2\) and \(k \geq 1\), if \(n \geq \max\{\lceil \frac{1}{4}m^2 + m + k \rceil, \lceil \frac{1}{4}m^2 + \frac{3}{2}m + 2k – \frac{11}{4} \rceil, \lceil mk + m – k + 1 \rceil\}\), then \(G\) is \(\chi\)-unique. This improves upon H.W. Zou’s result in the case \(m \geq 2\) and \(k \geq 1\).

Haihui Zhang1,2
1Department of Mathematics, Huaiyin Teachers College, Huaian, Jiangsu, 229300, P. R. China
2 School of Math. & Computer Science, Nanjing Normal University
Abstract:

In this paper, it is proved that a toroidal graph without cycles of length \(k\) for each \(k \in \{4, 5, 7, 10\}\) is \(3\)-choosable.

Yifei Hao1, Xiaomei Yang2, Niqianjun Jin3
1Research Center for International Business and Economy, Sichuan International Studies University, Chongqing 400031, P.R. China
2 College of Maths, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, P.R. China
3 College of Economics and Management, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, P.R. China
Abstract:

In this paper, we investigate the transitive Cayley graphs of strong semilattices of rectangular groups, and of normal bands, respectively. We show under which conditions they enjoy the property of automorphism vertex transitivity in analogy to Cayley graphs of groups.

Imran Javaid1, Shabbir Ahmad1, M.Naeem Azhar1
1Center for Advanced Studies in Pure and Applied Mathematics, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Pakistan.
Abstract:

A family of connected graphs \(\mathcal{G}\) is said to be a family with constant metric dimension if its metric dimension is finite and does not depend upon the choice of \(G\) in \(\mathcal{G}\). In this paper, we study the metric dimension of the generalized Petersen graphs \(P(n,m)\) for \(n = 2m+1\) and \(m \geq 1\) and give a partial answer to the question raised in \([9]\): Is \(P(n, m)\) for \(n \geq 7\) and \(3 \leq m \leq \lfloor \frac{n-1}{2} \rfloor\) a family of graphs with constant metric dimension? We prove that the generalized Petersen graphs \(P(n,m)\) with \(n = 2m +1\) have metric dimension \(3\) for every \(m \geq 2\).

Zhao Kewen1, Zhang Lili2, Hong-Jian Lai3, Yehong Shao4
1Department of Mathematics, Qiongzhou Unicersity, Wuzhishan City, Hainan 572200. P.R. China
2Department of Computer Science, Huhai University; Department of Mathe- matics, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
3Department of Mathematics, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506
4Arts and Science, Ohio University Southern. Ironton, OH 45638
Abstract:

Let \(G\) be a graph on \(n\) vertices. \(\delta\) and \(\alpha\) be the minimum degree and independence number of \(G\), respectively. We prove that if \(G\) is a \(2\)-connected graph and \(|N(x) \cup N(y)| \geq n-\delta – 1\) for each pair of nonadjacent vertices \(x,y\) with \(1 \leq |N(x) \cap N(y)| \leq \alpha – 1\), then \(G\) is hamiltonian or \(G \in \{G_1, G_2\}\) (see Figure 1.1 and Figure 1.2). As a corollary, if \(G\) is a 2-connected graph and \(|N(x) \cup N(y)| \geq n – \delta\) for each pair of nonadjacent vertices \(x,y\) with \(1 \leq |N(x) \cap N(y)| \leq \alpha – 1\), then \(G\) is hamiltonian. This result extends former results by Faudree et al. \(([5])\) and Yin \(([7])\).

Zhenkun Zhang1, Yixun Lin2
1Department of Mathematics, Huanghuai University, Zhumadian 463000, China;
2Department of Mathematics, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, China
Abstract:

Arising from the VLSI design and network communication, the cutwidth problem for a graph \(G\) is to embed \(G\) into a path such that the maximum number of overlap edges (i.e., the congestion) is minimized. The characterization of forbidden subgraphs or critical graphs is meaningful in the study of a graph-theoretic parameter. This paper characterizes the set of \(4\)-cutwidth critical trees by twelve specified ones.

Futaba Fujie-Okamoto1, Garry L.Johns2, Ping Zhang3
1 Mathematics Department University of Wisconsin-La Crosse La Crosse, WI 54601, USA
2Department of Mathematical Sciences Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI 48710-0001, USA
3Department of Mathematics Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI 49008, USA
Abstract:

A path \(P\) in an edge-colored graph (not necessarily a proper edge-coloring) is a rainbow path if no two edges of \(P\) are assigned the same color. For a connected graph \(G\) with connectivity \(\kappa(G)\) and an integer \(k\) with \(1 \leq k \leq \kappa(G)\), the rainbow \(k\)-connectivity \(rc_k(G)\) of \(G\) is the minimum number of colors needed in an edge-coloring of \(G\) such that every two distinct vertices \(u\) and \(v\) of \(G\) are connected by at least \(k\) internally disjoint \(u-v\)rainbow paths. In this paper, the rainbow \(2\)-connectivity of the Petersen graph as well as the rainbow connectivities of all cubic graphs of order \(8\) or less are determined.