Growth: A Journal of Mathematics and Mathematics Education

ISSN: xxxx-xxxx

Growth: A Journal of Mathematics and Mathematics Education aims to provide a publication platform for high quality undergraduate research in mathematics and in mathematical pedagogy. The technical scope of the journal is combinatorial mathematics, broadly interpreted—the editorial board will consider all submissions in their areas of interest. All submitted articles must have an undergraduate research component and must be certified by a senior researcher. All submissions will be peer reviewed according to standard practices in academic mathematics. Precise editorial policies are set by the editorial board.

Vladimir A. Shlyk1
1Institute of Mathematics National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 11 Surganova Street, Minsk, 220072, Belarus
Abstract:

This paper develops the polyhedral approach to integer partitions. We consider the set of partitions of an integer \( n \) as a polytope \( P_n \subset \mathbb{R}^n \). Vertices of \( P_n \) form the class of partitions that provide the first basis for the whole set of partitions of \( n \). Moreover, we show that there exists a subclass of vertices, from which all others can be generated with the use of two combinatorial operations. The calculation demonstrates a considerable decrease in the cardinality of these classes of basic partitions as \( n \) grows. We focus on the vertex enumeration problem for \( P_n \). We prove that vertices of all partition polytopes form a partition ideal of the Andrews partition lattice. This allows us to construct vertices of \( P_n \) by a lifting method, which requires examining only certain partitions of \( n \). A criterion of whether a given partition is a convex combination of two others connects vertices with knapsack partitions, sum-free sets, Sidon sets, and Sidon multisets introduced in the paper. All but a few non-vertices for small \( n \)’s were recognized with its help. We also prove several easy-to-check necessary conditions for a partition to be a vertex.

Italo J. Dejter1
1University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras, PR 00936-8377
Abstract:

Like the Coxeter graph becoming reattached into the Klein graph in [3], the Levi graphs of the \(9_3\) and \(10_3\) self-dual configurations, known as the Pappus and Desargues (\(k\)-transitive) graphs \(\mathcal{P}\) and \(\mathcal{D}\) (where \(k = 3\)), also admit reattachments of the distance-(\(k – 1\)) graphs of half of their oriented shortest cycles via orientation assignments on their common (\(k – 1\))-arcs, concurrent for \(\mathcal{P}\) and opposite for \(\mathcal{D}\), now into 2 disjoint copies of their corresponding Menger graphs. Here, \(\mathcal{P}\) is the unique cubic distance-transitive (or CDT) graph with the concurrent-reattachment behavior while \(\mathcal{D}\) is one of \(7\) CDT graphs with the opposite-reattachment behavior, including the Coxeter graph. Thus, \(\mathcal{P}\) and \(\mathcal{D}\) confront each other in these respects, obtained via \(\mathcal{C}\)-ultrahomogeneous graph techniques \([4,5]\) that allow us to characterize the obtained reattachment Menger graphs in the same terms.

Hongyu Liangt 1
1Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Abstract:

Let \( k \) be a positive integer and \( G = (V, E) \) be a graph of minimum degree at least \( k – 1 \). A function \( f: V \to \{-1, 1\} \) is called a \({signed \; k -dominating\; function}\) of \( G \) if \( \sum_{u \in N_G[v]} f(u) \geq k \) for all \( v \in V \). The \({signed \; k -domination \;number}\) of \( G \) is the minimum value of \( \sum_{v \in V} f(v) \) taken over all signed \( k \)-dominating functions of \( G \). The \({signed \;total \; k-dominating \;function}\) and \({signed\; total \; k -domination\; number}\) of \( G \) can be similarly defined by changing the closed neighborhood \( N_G[v] \) to the open neighborhood \( N_G(v) \) in the definition. The upper \({signed \; k -domination \;number}\) is the maximum value of \( \sum_{u \in V} f(u) \) taken over all \({minimal}\) signed \( k \)-dominating functions of \( G \). In this paper, we study these graph parameters from both algorithmic complexity and graph-theoretic perspectives. We prove that for every fixed \( k \geq 1 \), the problems of computing these three parameters are all \( \mathcal{NP} \)-hard. We also present sharp lower bounds on the signed \( k \)-domination number and signed total \( k \)-domination number for general graphs in terms of their minimum and maximum degrees, generalizing several known results about signed domination.

Sara Cohen1, Steven Klee1, Katherine Pannell1
1University of California, Davis Department of Mathematics One Shields Avenue Davis, CA 95616
Abstract:

In this paper, we study a pair of simplicial complexes, which we denote by \( \mathcal{B}(k,d) \) and \( \mathcal{ST}(k+1,d-k-1) \), for all nonnegative integers \( k \) and \( d \) with \( 0 \leq k \leq d-2 \). We conjecture that their underlying topological spaces \( |\mathcal{B}(k,d)| \) and \( |\mathcal{ST}(k+1,d-k-1)| \) are homeomorphic for all such \( k \) and \( d \). We answer this question when \( k = d-2 \) by relating the complexes through a series of well-studied combinatorial operations that transform a combinatorial manifold while preserving its PL-homeomorphism type.

N. Dehgardi1, S.M. Sheikholeslami1, D. Meierling2, L. Volkmann2
1Department of Mathematics Azarbaijan University of Tarbiat Moallem Tabriz, I.R. Iran
2Lehrstuhl IT fiir Mathematik RWTH Aachen University 52056 Aachen, Germany
Abstract:

Let \( D = (V,A) \) be a finite and simple digraph. A Roman dominating function (RDF) on \( D \) is a labeling \( f: V(D) \to \{0,1,2\} \) such that every vertex \( v \) with label \( 0 \) has a vertex \( w \) with label \( 2 \) such that \( wv \) is an arc in \( D \). The weight of an RDF \( f \) is the value \( \omega(f) = \sum_{v \in V} f(v) \). The Roman domination number of a digraph \( D \), denoted by \( \gamma_R(D) \), equals the minimum weight of an RDF on \( D \). The Roman reinforcement number \( r_R(D) \) of a digraph \( D \) is the minimum number of arcs that must be added to \( D \) in order to decrease the Roman domination number. In this paper, we initiate the study of Roman reinforcement number in digraphs and we present some sharp bounds for \( r_R(D) \). In particular, we determine the Roman reinforcement number of some classes of digraphs.

Jianxi Li1, Wai Chee Shiu2
1Department of Mathematics & Information Science, Zhangzhou Normal University, Zhangzhou, Fujian, P.R. China
2Department of Mathematics, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, P. R. China.
Abstract:

In this paper, some formulae for computing the numbers of spanning trees of the corona and the join of graphs are deduced.

Sian K. Jones1, Stephanie Perkins1, Paul A. Roach1
1Faculty of Advanced Technology, University of Glamorgan Treforest, UK, CF37 1DL
Abstract:

Partially filled \(6 \times 6\) Sudoku grids are categorized based on the arrangement of the values in the first three rows. This categorization is then employed to determine the number of \(6 \times 6\) Sudoku grids.

Jonathan Bloom 1, Dan Saracino2
1Dartmouth College
2Colgate University
Abstract:

Stankova and West proved in 2002 that the patterns \( 231 \) and \( 312 \) are shape-Wilf-equivalent. Their proof was nonbijective. We give a new characterization of \( 231 \) and \( 312 \) avoiding full rook placements and use this to give a simple bijection that demonstrates the shape-Wilf-equivalence.

Xiaomiao Wang1, Yanxun Chang2, Ruizhong Wei3
1Institute of Mathematics, Beijing Jiaotong University Beijing 100044, P. R. China
2Department of Mathematics, Ningbo University Ningbo 315211, P. R. China
3Department of Computer Science, Lakehead University Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada
Timothy M. Brauch1, André E. Kézdy1, Hunter S. Snevily2
1Department of Mathematics University of Louisville Louisville, KY 40292 USA
2Department of Mathematics University of Idaho Moscow, ID 83844 USA
Abstract:

The paper begins with a simple circular lock problem that shows how the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz relates to the discrete Fourier Transform.Specifically, the lock shows a relationship between detecting perfect matchings in bipartite graphs using the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz and detecting a maximum rank independent set in the intersection of two matroids in the Fourier transform of a specially chosen function. Finally, an application of the uncertainity principle computes a lower bound for the product of perfect matchings and the number of independent sets.

Special Issues

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