Does K5 contain Eulerian circuits? (why?) If yes, draw them.

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the existence and enumeration of Eulerian circuits in the complete graph K5, with participants exploring methods for drawing and counting these circuits. The conversation includes theoretical considerations and practical approaches to visualizing the circuits.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions how to systematically draw all possible Eulerian circuits starting from a specific vertex and returning to it, expressing uncertainty about the number of different paths and how to represent them visually.
  • Another participant provides an example of an Eulerian circuit in K5, represented as the sequence $$12345241351$$, and suggests using an external resource for further exploration.
  • A participant seeks clarification on whether there is a general formula for counting Eulerian circuits in K_n, specifically asking for an example with K4.
  • One participant mentions the limitations of their experience in graph theory, indicating they are not qualified to provide a systematic method for listing or counting Eulerian circuits.
  • Another participant proposes that the number of Eulerian circuits in K_n is divisible by n! based on the permutations of vertices in an Eulerian circuit.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express curiosity about systematic methods for counting Eulerian circuits, but there is no consensus on a specific approach or formula. Multiple viewpoints on the topic remain, with some participants providing examples while others seek clarification.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge the complexity of counting Eulerian circuits and the potential for missing circuits without a systematic approach. There is also mention of the limitations of personal experience in graph theory, which may affect the discussion.

buchi
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how would one possibly draw all the possible Eulerian circuits? the way I am thinking of it is if we start say at vertex 1 and go through each vertex and edge and come back to vertex 1 then we can do the same for each vertex up to 5 but then we can also start at vertex one and head a different way to arrive at the same vertex so I guess my question is is there a systematic way to calculate how many different paths we could take? and to draw them? would we just draw exactly the same picture however many times and putting an arrow showing the path?

Thanks
 
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buchi said:
how would one possibly draw all the possible Eulerian circuits? the way I am thinking of it is if we start say at vertex 1 and go through each vertex and edge and come back to vertex 1 then we can do the same for each vertex up to 5 but then we can also start at vertex one and head a different way to arrive at the same vertex so I guess my question is is there a systematic way to calculate how many different paths we could take? and to draw them? would we just draw exactly the same picture however many times and putting an arrow showing the path?

Here is one Eulerian circuit Look at the graphic.
$$12345241351$$

View attachment 1157

You can also use this webpage to help you.

Change the five to say 9 and click the $$\boxed{=}$$.
 

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Thanks for that plato, but I get what you mean there but i am just curious if there is a systematic way to make sure i haven't missed any circutes or is there a general formula to work out how many Eulerian circuits are in K_n?? could you do say K_4 as an example and list the different circuits.

also you said change the 5 say to 9 and click the ___? i can't see what symbol that is on your reply and what you mean by that sentence?
 
buchi said:
also you said change the 5 say to 9 and click the ___? i can't see what symbol that is on your reply and what you mean by that sentence?
I don't know anything about your computer/browser. But I was talking about the Wolframalpha in the link.
At the end of the input window there is a = sign that acts like a return key.
Wolframalpha is a wonderful resource for mathematics students. You should learn to use it.
It is available on most mobile devices in both popular formats.

buchi said:
I get what you mean there but i am just curious if there is a systematic way to make sure i haven't missed any circutes or is there a general formula to work out how many Eulerian circuits are in K_n?? could you do say K_4 as an example and list the different circuits.

I have never done research in graph theory. I have taught many undergraduate courses that include graph theory as at least a third of the course. That said, I am not qualified to comment on a systematic way to make sure of any listing or even counting of Eulerian circuits from any particular vertex.

I will point out that if we begin $$1231541~$$ there is no way to finish.

BUT $$12314524351$$ is a different Eulerian circuit from the one I posted.
 
Plato said:
That said, I am not qualified to comment on a systematic way to make sure of any listing or even counting of Eulerian circuits from any particular vertex.
Hey Plato.

You raise an interesting question of counting the number of Eulerian circuits in $K_n$. Here are my first thoughts. Let $v_1,\ldots,v_k$ be an Eulerian circuit in $K$. Then $v_{\sigma(1)},\ldots,v_{\sigma(k)}$ too is an Eulerian circuit in $K_n$ for each $\sigma\in S_n$. So the number of Eulerian circuits in $K_n$ is divisible by $n!$
 

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