Topological Graph Theory - Class Notes
From Graphs on Surfaces Bojan Mohar and Carsten Thomassen, (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001)
Mohar and Thomassen's Graphs on Surfaces book

ETSU does not have a formal class on Topological Graph Theory. However, we do have a Graph Theory sequence. Notes are online for Graph Theory 1 (MATH 5340) and Graph Theory 2 (MATH 5450). The catalog description for Graph Theory 1 is: "Topics include special classes of graphs, distance in graphs, graphical parameters, connectivity, Eulerian graphs, hamiltonian graphs, networks, and extremal graph theory. Theory and proof techniques will be emphasized." The catalog description for Graph Theory 2 is: "Analyze topics in planar graphs, the Four Color Theorem, vertex/edge colorings, random graphs, and contemporary research topics in graph theory."

Copies of the classnotes are on the internet in PDF format as given below. The notes and supplements may contain hyperlinks to posted webpages; the links appear in red fonts. The "Proofs of Theorems" files were prepared in Beamer. The "Printout of Proofs" are printable PDF files of the Beamer slides without the pauses. These notes have not been classroom tested and may have typographical errors. A webpage for the book prepared by Bojan Mohar is available and includes information on open problems (listed as "Revised October 16, 2009") and a a brief Errata page.

  1. Chapter 1. Introduction.
  2. Chapter 2. Planar Graphs.
  3. Chapter 3. Surfaces.
  4. Chapter 4. Embeddings Combinatorially, Contractibility of Cycles, and the Genus Problem.
  5. Chapter 5. The Width of Embeddings.
  6. Chapter 6. Embedding Extensions and Obstructions.
  7. Chapter 7. Tree-Width and the Excluded Minor Theorem.
  8. Chapter 8. Colorings of Graphs on Surfaces.
  9. Appendix A. The Mimimal Forbidden Subgraphs for the Projective Plane.
  10. Appendix B. The Unavoidable Configurations in Planar Triangulations.

1. Introduction.

2. Planar Graphs.

3. Surfaces.

4. Embeddings Combinatorially, Contractibility of Cycles, and the Genus Problem.

5. The Width of Embeddings.

6. Embedding Extensions and Obstructions.

7. Tree-Width and the Excluded Minor Theorem.

8. Colorings of Graphs on Surfaces.

Appendix A. The Mimimal Forbidden Subgraphs for the Projective Plane.

Appendix B. The Unavoidable Configurations in Planar Triangulations.


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