Graph two colours, no monochromatic path.

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SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on the problem of coloring the vertices of a graph G, where all vertices have degrees less than or equal to 3, using two colors to ensure that there are no monochromatic paths of length 3. The solution involves applying principles from graph theory, specifically leveraging the properties of vertex degrees and paths. Additionally, the discussion references a lemma that states if all vertices in a graph have degrees greater than or equal to d, then there exists a path of length d in that graph. This lemma is crucial for understanding the relationship between vertex degree and path length.

PREREQUISITES
  • Basic understanding of graph theory concepts, including vertices and edges.
  • Familiarity with vertex degree and its implications in graph structures.
  • Knowledge of path lengths and their significance in graph coloring problems.
  • Understanding of coloring algorithms and their applications in graph theory.
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  • Study the principles of graph coloring and theorems related to vertex coloring.
  • Explore the implications of vertex degree on path existence in graphs.
  • Learn about specific graph theory lemmas, including those related to path lengths and vertex degrees.
  • Investigate algorithms for finding monochromatic paths in colored graphs.
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Students and researchers in mathematics, particularly those focusing on graph theory, as well as computer scientists and algorithm developers interested in graph algorithms and coloring techniques.

Arnold1
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I've just begun studying graph theory and I have some difficulty with this problem. Could you tell me how to go about solving it? I would really appreciate the least formal solution possible.

In a graph G all vertices have degrees \le 3. Show that we can color its vertices in two colors so that in G there exists no one-color path, whose length is 3.

And a similar one.
There's this quite popular lemma that if in a graph all vertices have degrees \ge d, then in this graph there's a path whose length is d.
 
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Arnold said:
There's this quite popular lemma that if in a graph all vertices have degrees \ge d, then in this graph there's a path whose length is d.

Let v_0 v_1 ... v_k be a path of maximum length in a graph G. Then all neighbours of v_0 lie on the path. Since \deg (v_0) \geq \delta (G), we have k \geq \delta (G) and the path has at least length \delta (G).
 

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