Skip to main content

Chapter 24 Graph Automorphisms and Graph Labelings

For each graph \(G\text{,}\) determine either

\(\bullet \,\,\, |\mathrm{Aut}(G)|\text{,}\) the number of the automorphisms of \(G\text{,}\) or

\(\bullet \,\,\, \ell(G)\text{,}\) the number of distinct labelings of \(G\text{.}\)

Explain how you found this number. Once you have determined one of these numbers, you can find the other using the formula

\begin{equation*} |\mathrm{Aut}(G)| \cdot \ell(G) = n! \end{equation*}

where \(n = |V(G)|\text{.}\)

Exercises Practice Problems

1.

The complete graph \(K_n\text{,}\) which contains \(n\) vertices with all possible edges.

2.

The cycle \(C_n\text{,}\) consisting of a circle of \(n\) vertices, each connected to its two nearest neighbors.

3.

The wheel \(W_n\text{,}\) consisting of a circle of \(n-1\) vertices, each connected to its two nearest neighbors, along with an \(n\)th hub vertex, which is connected to all other vertices.

4.

The path \(P_n\text{,}\) which contains \(n\) vertices connected in a line

5.

The complete bipartite graph \(K_{m,n}\text{,}\) where \(m \neq n\text{,}\) consisting of a set \(U\) of \(m\) vertices and a set \(W\) of \(n\) vertices, with edges between every pair \(u \in U\) and \(v \in V\text{.}\)

6.

The star \(S_n\text{,}\) consisting of a central vertex connected to \(n-1\) leaf vertices.