Let \(G=(V, E)\) be a graph. Define \(\xi(G) = \sum\limits_d i_d*d\) , where…

2010

Let \(G=(V, E)\) be a graph. Define \(\xi(G) = \sum\limits_d i_d*d\) , where id is the number of vertices of degree \(d\) in \(G\). If \(S\) and \(T\) are two different trees with \(\xi(S) = \xi(T)\) , then

  1. A.

    \(|S| = 2|T| \)

  2. B.

    \(|S| = |T| - 1\)

  3. C.

    \(|S| = |T| \)

  4. D.

    \(|S| = |T| + 1\)

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Correct answer: C

Key idea: express xi(G) in terms of the number of vertices for a tree.

  • For any graph G, xi(G) = sum of degrees of all vertices = 2|E|.

  • For a tree with |V| vertices, |E| = |V| - 1, so xi = 2(|V| - 1).

  • If xi(S) = xi(T), then 2(|S| - 1) = 2(|T| - 1), which simplifies to |S| = |T|.

Therefore, the two trees must have the same number of vertices.

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