Ladder graph

Ladder graph
The ladder graph L8.
Vertices
Edges
Chromatic number
Chromatic index
PropertiesUnit distance
Hamiltonian
Planar
Bipartite
Notation
Table of graphs and parameters

In the mathematical field of graph theory, the ladder graph Ln is a planar, undirected graph with 2n vertices and 3n – 2 edges.[1]

The ladder graph can be obtained as the Cartesian product of two path graphs, one of which has only one edge: Ln,1 = Pn × P2.[2][3]

Properties

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By construction, the ladder graph Ln is isomorphic to the grid graph G2,n and looks like a ladder with n rungs. It is Hamiltonian with girth 4 (if n>1) and chromatic index 3 (if n>2).

The chromatic number of the ladder graph is 2 and its chromatic polynomial is .

The ladder graphs L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5.

Ladder rung graph

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Sometimes the term "ladder graph" is used for the n × P2 ladder rung graph, which is the graph union of n copies of the path graph P2.

The ladder rung graphs LR1, LR2, LR3, LR4, and LR5.

Circular ladder graph

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The circular ladder graph CLn is constructible by connecting the four 2-degree vertices in a straight way, or by the Cartesian product of a cycle of length n ≥ 3 and an edge.[4] In symbols, CLn = Cn × P2. It has 2n nodes and 3n edges. Like the ladder graph, it is connected, planar and Hamiltonian, but it is bipartite if and only if n is even.

Circular ladder graph are the polyhedral graphs of prisms, so they are more commonly called prism graphs.

Circular ladder graphs:


CL3

CL4

CL5

CL6

CL7

CL8

Möbius ladder

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Connecting the four 2-degree vertices crosswise creates a cubic graph called a Möbius ladder.

Two views of the Möbius ladder M16 .

References

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  1. ^ Weisstein, Eric W. "Ladder Graph". MathWorld.
  2. ^ Hosoya, H. and Harary, F. "On the Matching Properties of Three Fence Graphs." J. Math. Chem. 12, 211-218, 1993.
  3. ^ Noy, M. and Ribó, A. "Recursively Constructible Families of Graphs." Adv. Appl. Math. 32, 350-363, 2004.
  4. ^ Chen, Yichao; Gross, Jonathan L.; Mansour, Toufik (September 2013). "Total Embedding Distributions of Circular Ladders". Journal of Graph Theory. 74 (1): 32–57. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.297.2183. doi:10.1002/jgt.21690. S2CID 6352288.