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
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 050
- Pages: 65-79
- Published: 31/12/1998
A matching in a graph \(G\) is a set of independent edges and a maximal matching is a matching that is not properly contained in any other matching in \(G\). A maximum matching is a matching of maximum cardinality. The number of edges in a maximum matching is denoted by \(\beta_1(G)\); while the number of edges in a maximal matching of minimum cardinality is denoted by \(\beta^-_1(G)\). Several results concerning these parameters are established including a Nordhaus-Gaddum result for \(\beta^-_1(G)\). Finally, in order to compare the maximum matchings in a graph \(G\), a metric on the set of maximum matchings of \(G\) is defined and studied. Using this metric, we define a new graph \(M(G)\), called the matching graph of \(G\). Several graphs are shown to be matching graphs; however, it is shown that not all graphs are matching graphs.
- Research article
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 050
- Pages: 23-32
- Published: 31/12/1998
In this paper we consider interval colourings — edge colourings of bipartite graphs in which the colours represented at each vertex form an interval of integers. These colourings, corresponding to certain types of timetables, are not always possible. In the present paper it is shown that if a bipartite graph with bipartition \((X,Y)\) has all vertices of \(X\) of the same degree \(d_X = 2\) and all vertices of \(Y\) of the same degree \(d_y\), then an interval colouring can always be established.
- Research article
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 050
- Pages: 215-224
- Published: 31/12/1998
Let \(v\) and \(u\) be positive integers. It is shown in this paper that the necessary condition for the existence of a directed \(\mathrm{TD}(5,v)\)-\(\mathrm{TD}(5,u)\), namely \(v \geq 4u\), is also sufficient.
- Research article
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 050
- Pages: 303-308
- Published: 31/12/1998
Initiated by a recent question of Erdhos, we give lower bounds on the size of a largest \(k\)-partite subgraph of a graph. Also, the corresponding problem for uniform hypergraphs is considered.
- Research article
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 050
- Pages: 177-186
- Published: 31/12/1998
Let \(G = (V, E)\) be a graph and \(k \in \mathbb{Z}^+\) such that \(1 \leq k \leq |V|\). A \(k\)-subdominating function (KSF) to \(\{-1, 0, 1\}\) is a function \(f: V \to \{-1, 0, 1\}\) such that the closed neighborhood sum \(f(N[v]) \geq 1\) for at least \(k\) vertices of \(G\). The weight of a KSF \(f\) is \(f(V) = \sum_{v \in V} f(v)\). The \(k\)-subdomination number to \(\{-1, 0, 1\}\) of a graph \(G\), denoted by \(\gamma^{-101}_{k_s}(G)\), equals the minimum weight of a KSF of \(G\). In this paper, we characterize minimal KSF’s, calculate \(\gamma^{-101}_{k_s}(G)\) for an arbitrary path \(P_n\), and determine the least order of a connected graph \(G\) for which \(\gamma^{-101}_{k_s}(G)=-m\) for an arbitrary positive integer \(m\).
- Research article
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 050
- Pages: 187-192
- Published: 31/12/1998
Let \(G\) be a simple graph of order \(n\) having a maximum matching \(M\). The deficiency \( def(G)\) of \(G\) is the number of vertices unsaturated by \(M\). In this paper, we find lower bounds for \(n\) when \( def(G)\) and the minimum degree (or maximum degree) of vertices are given. Further, for every \(n\) not less than the bound and of the same parity as \( def(G)\), there exists a graph \(G\) with the given deficiency and minimum (maximum) degree.
- Research article
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- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 050
- Pages: 139-148
- Published: 31/12/1998
In this paper, we count the number of isomorphism classes of bipartite \(n\)-cyclic permutation graphs up to positive natural isomorphism and show that it is equal to the number of double cosets of the dihedral group \(D_n\) in the subgroup \(B_n\) of the symmetric group \(S_n\), consisting of parity-preserving or parity-reversing permutations.
- Research article
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 050
- Pages: 53-63
- Published: 31/12/1998
Let \(\alpha(G)\) denote the independence number of a graph \(G\) and let \(G \times H\) be the direct product of graphs \(G\) and \(H\). Set \(\underline{\alpha}(G\times H) = \max\{\alpha(G) – |H|, \alpha(H) – |G|\}\). If \(G\) is a path or a cycle and \(H\) is a path or a cycle, then \(\alpha(G \times H) = \underline{\alpha}(G \times H)\). Moreover, this equality holds also in the case when \(G\) is a bipartite graph with a perfect matching and \(H\) is a traceable graph. However, for any graph \(G\) with at least one edge and for any \(i \in \mathbb{N}\), there is a graph \(H_c\) such that \(\alpha(G \times H ) > \underline{\alpha}(G \times H ) + i\).
- Research article
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 050
- Pages: 225-233
- Published: 31/12/1998
Our main aim is to show that the Randi\’e weight of a connected graph of order \(n\) is at least \(\sqrt{n – 1}\). As shown by the stars, this bound is best possible.
- Research article
- Full Text
- Ars Combinatoria
- Volume 050
- Pages: 161-176
- Published: 31/12/1998
New class \(\mathcal{GBG}_{\overrightarrow{k}}\), of generalized de Bruijn multigraphs of rank \({\overrightarrow{k}}\in{N}^m\), is introduced and briefly characterized. It is shown, among the others, that every multigraph of \(\mathcal{GBG}_{\overrightarrow{k}}\) is connected, Eulerian and Hamiltonian. Moreover, it consists of the subgraphs which are isomorphic with the de Bruijn graphs of rank \(r=\sum_{i=1}^{m} (d_1,\dots,d_m)\in\{0.1\}^m\). Then, the subgraphs of every multigraph of \(\mathcal{GBG}_{\overrightarrow{k}}\), called the \({\overrightarrow{k}}\)-factors, are distinguished.
An algorithm, with small time and space complexities, for the construction of the \({\overrightarrow{k}}\)-factors, in particular the Hamiltonian circuits, is given. At the very end, a few open problems are put forward.
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




