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.

Peter Dukes1
1Mathematics University of Toronto Toronto, ON Canada M5S 3G3
Abstract:

It is noted that Teirlinck’s “transposition argument” for disjoint \(\text{STS}(v)\) applies more generally to certain partial triple systems of different orders. A corollary on the number of blocks common to two \(\text{STS}(v)\) of different orders is also given.

I.D. Gray1, J.A. MacDougall1
1School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences The University of Newcastle NSW 2308 Australia
Abstract:

We introduce a generalisation of the traditional magic square, which proves useful in the construction of magic labelings of graphs. An order \(n\) sparse semi-magic square is an \(n \times n\) array containing the entries \(1, 2, \ldots, m\) (for some \(m < n^2\)) once each with the remainder of its entries \(0\), and its rows and columns have a constant sum \(k\). We discover some of the basic properties of such arrays and provide constructions for squares of all orders \(n \geq 3\). We also show how these arrays can be used to produce vertex-magic labelings for certain families of graphs.

Kelli Carlson1
1300 Monterey Blvd, Apt 104, San Francisco, CA 94131
Abstract:

A graph \(G\) on \(n\) vertices has a prime labeling if its vertices can be assigned the distinct labels \(1, 2, \ldots, n\) such that for every edge \(xy\) in \(G\), the labels of \(x\) and \(y\) are relatively prime. In this paper, we show that generalized books and \(C_m\) snakes all have prime labelings. In the process, we demonstrate a way to build new prime graphs from old ones.

I. Gunaltili1, P. Anapa1, S. OLGUN1
1Osmangazi University Departmant of Mathematics 26480 Eskigehir-Tiirkiye
Abstract:

In this paper, we studied that a linear space, which is the complement of a linear space having points are not on a trilateral or a quadrilateral in a projective subplane of order \(m\), is embeddable in a unique way in a projective plane of order \(n\). In addition, we showed that this linear space is the complement of certain regular hyperbolic plane in the sense of Graves \([5]\) with respect to a finite projective plane.

Amitabha Tripathi1
1Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi – 110016, India
Abstract:

We give a combinatorial proof of Wilson’s Theorem: \(p\) divides \(\{(p – 1)! +1\}\) if \(p\) is prime.

Ali Reza Ashrafi1, Amir Loghman2
1Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, University of Kashan, Kashan 87317-51167, Iran
2 Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, University of Kashan, Kashan 87317-51167, Iran
Abstract:

The Padmakar-Ivan (PI) index of a graph \(G\) is defined as \(PI(G) = \sum[n_{eu} (e|G) + n_{ev}(e|G)]\) where \(n_{eu}(e|G)\) is the number of edges of \(G\) lying closer to \(u\) than to \(v\), \(n_{ev}(e|G)\) is the number of edges of \(G\) lying closer to \(v\) than to \(u\), and the summation goes over all edges of \(G\). The PI Index is a Szeged-like topological index developed very recently. In this paper, an exact expression for the PI index of the armchair polyhex nanotubes is given.

Xianglin Wei1, Ren Ding1
1College of Mathematics, Hebei Normal University Shijiazhuang 050016, People’s Republic of China
Abstract:

A finite planar set is \(k\)-isosceles for \(k \geq 3\), if every \(k\)-point subset of the set contains a point equidistant from the other two. This paper gives a \(4\)-isosceles set consisting of \(7\) points with no three on a line and no four on a circle.

Zaiping Lu1, Changqun Wang2, Mingyao Xu3
1Center for Combinatorics, Nankai University Tianjin 300071, P. R. China
2Department of Mathematics, Zhengzhou University Zhengzhou 450052, Henan, P. R. China
3 LMAM, School of Mathematical Sciences Peking University, Beijing 100871, P. R. China
Abstract:

For a group \(T\) and a subset \(S\) of \(T\), the bi-Cayley graph \(\text{BCay}(T, S)\) of \(T\) with respect to \(S\) is the bipartite graph with vertex set \(T \times \{0, 1\}\) and edge set \(\{\{(g, 0), (ag, 1)\} | g \in T, s \in S\}\). In this paper, we investigate cubic bi-Cayley graphs of finite nonabelian simple groups. We give several sufficient or necessary conditions for a bi-Cayley graph to be semisymmetric, and construct several infinite families of cubic semisymmetric graphs.

Paolo Dulio1, Virgilio Pannone2
1DirarTiMENTo pi MATEMATICA “F. Brioscur, Potrrecnico pr Mi- LANO, P1AzZA LEONARDO DA VINCT 32, I-20133 MILANO
2DIPARTIMENTO DI MATEMATICA “U. DINI’, UNIVERISTA DI FIRENZE, VIALE Morcacni 67/A, 1-50134 FIRENZE
Abstract:

We study the notion of path-congruence \(\Phi: T_1 \rightarrow T_2\) between two trees \(T_1\) and \(T_2\). We introduce the concept of the trunk of a tree, and prove that, for any tree \(T\), the trunk and the periphery of \(T\) are stable. We then give conditions for which the center of \(T\) is stable. One such condition is that the central vertices have degree \(2\). Also, the center is stable when the diameter of \(T\) is less than \(8\).