Wang

Algebra

by

and

Louis at

the

Spanning H.

Kauffman A graph

Trees

of

Graph

In

nodes

these

with

collection It

or v e r t i c e s , of For

notes

we

will

along

edges.

itself. the 2

edges

usually that

look

is

edges

co n n e c t e d

example,

between

graph any

the

can

depicted graph two 3 in

graphs.

connect

as

the

below

two

dark

nodes.

sense

has

nodes that

spots

is

four

or

or

collection connect is a points,

there

nodes

and

and

of

pathway

five

node

a d

4 Figure 1 A connected graph G. and they have lots

Graphs of

electrical systems, can

applications. In

are

fundamental We

decorations. start

circuits.

economic with about a

general,

Subway

are

mathematical all system and we familiar

information edges).

collection how

systems,

when

they

of

are

definite

other

want

maps

with

structures are the

connected

entities

systems

to

desribe

graphs of

graphical

engineering nodes)

with

notation

special

for

with

(the

relationship, another and

one

(the

the

we

A cycle circular Note edge and

cycles In

edges in

from

that

form a 3

in

a is

graph as an in

is

the

closes

to

4,

edge d

the is

from an

graph 1

collection to

above 2,

of b

where 4 is to an a

nodes

and

graph we

on

in

itself

Figure

in

edge

this 1.

from

way

in

1.

edge

a,b,c,d The

edges from

form 2

that to

have 3, c

cycle. of

a an

cycle.

Exercise:

collection

Find

nodes all

is

the

A tree tree the of

these of

is

notes a is

Figure

tree

graph a

below 1.

tree

that

will

(with

inside

is

explore G

conncected a, that b,c)

the

spanning and a all

edges

uses is

has

trees no

spanning

the

nodes

cycles. tree of

in

graph A

of

G.

the

For

spanning graph

G.

example, G

Figure use of an a

spanning system will

tree

for by

of

Figure (See

1. In this

We to

system

will

symbols. These graph

edges

there For

are

algebraic

T:

correspond

example to

graph.

generatiing We we

symbols write write,

devised

the

follwing

will

commutative for related

a,b,c,

Wang ...

that

graphs

{a,b,c}:

products to the

will

[1,2]). of

correspond these abc.

a,b,c,ab,ac,bc,

triangle

a c

abc

a c c bc

ab

ac

Figure

Triangle

graph

and

its

connected

subgraphs.

As

triangle

you

can of

subtrees

graph

see

T,

T,

from

and

while

this

a,b,c

ab,ac

figure,

correspond the

and

abc bc to

correspond the

corresponds

individual

to

to

the

the

edges

spanning of

whole

T.

In

x+ x = 0 xx = 0 x and

xy = yx,

Wang

algebra,

for

any

and

y.

Thus we have (a +b)(a + c) = aa + ac + ba + bc = ac + ab + ac in the Wang With the algebra.

spanning Wang

these

rules

trees:

for

handling

the

algebra,

Wang

tells

us

how

to

find

The 1.

node. 2.

For

each

Rules node

write

for

Finding the

sum

all of

all

Spanning the

edge-labels

Trees

of

that

meet

Graph

that

all 3. 4.

Leave the

remaining the

out

one

node

nodes.

and

take

the

product

of

the

sums

of

labels

for

Expand The

product the

in

2. of

using the

the

Wang

algebra. in 3. are in 1-1

correspondence For example,

terms

in

with the

sum

the

spanning graph

expansion trees

in

obtained the

graph.

corresponding

in

to

nodes

triangle as

shown

in

we

the

have

Figure

the

below.

sums

1 T

a 3 c

1: a + b 2: b + c 3: a + c

Thus

(b+c)(a+c) = ba + bc + ca + cc = ab + bc + ac. (Remember Certainly ab, that bc cc and = ac 0 in correspond the Wang to algebra!) the

using

just

nodes

and

3,

we

get

the

product

spanning

trees

of

T.

Exercises: 1. using 2. Check nodes the

that

the

and

products 3 also

give

obtained the

spanning

by

using

trees

nodes

of

T.

and

and

by

Figure

Use

1.

Draw

Wang

pictures

method

of

to

all

find

the

the

trees

spanning that

you

trees

get

of

from

the

graph this

graph.

of

References

1. R. J. Duffin. An Analysis of the Wang Algebra of Networks (Oct., 1959), pp. 114-131.

Transactions of the American Mathematical Society, Vol. 93, No. 1

2. R. J. Duffin. Some problems of mathematics and science. November 1974, pp. 1053- 1069.

Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society, Vol. 80, No. 6,