Graph Theory

Graphs, paths, flows, colorings, and spectral methods.


foundation tier

Graph Theory. Graphs, paths, flows, colorings, and spectral methods. The literature on graph theory divides naturally along several axes: the foundational structures that organise the subject, the techniques that drive proofs and computations, the questions about classification or representation that animate current research, and the bridges to neighbouring areas of mathematics and science. The references below trace those axes through the canonical textbook treatments and recent technical contributions.

Foundations and canonical references

The standard treatments of graph theory approach the subject from complementary angles. Diestel, Graph Theory (2017) is the anchor reference for the subject and lays out the core definitions, theorems, and worked examples that practitioners return to. West, Introduction to Graph Theory (2001) gives a parallel, more proof-oriented exposition of the same material and is widely used as a graduate text. Bollobas, Modern Graph Theory (1998) offers an alternative presentation that complements the primary references and is useful for triangulating definitions and proof techniques.

Open methodological questions for graph theory include sharpening the bridges between foundational theory and computational practice, extending classical results to broader or more structured settings, and integrating the techniques surveyed above with adjacent mathematical disciplines. The references listed in this page are the entry points that current work builds on.

Prerequisites

Sources

  • textbook · primary · 2017
    Graph Theory
    diestel-2017
  • textbook · primary · 2001
    Introduction to Graph Theory
    west-2001
  • textbook · supporting · 1998
    Modern Graph Theory
    bollobas-1998

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  1. 01

    Spectral Graph Theory

    Eigenvalues of adjacency and Laplacian matrices, Cheeger inequalities.

  2. 02

    Expander Graphs

    Spectral, combinatorial, and algebraic expanders; Ramanujan graphs.

  3. 03

    Graph Coloring

    Chromatic number, list coloring, and the four color theorem.

  4. 04

    Network Flows and Matchings

    Max-flow min-cut, bipartite matching, and matroid intersections.

  5. 05

    Random Graphs

    Erdős–Rényi model, phase transitions, and preferential attachment.

  6. 06

    Graph Minors and Structural Graph Theory

    Robertson–Seymour theorem and treewidth.

  7. 07

    Graph Limits and Graphons

    Lovász's theory of dense graph limits.

  8. 08

    Algebraic Graph Theory

    Group actions on graphs, Cayley graphs, and automorphism theory.

  9. 09

    Extremal Graph Theory

    Turán, Kővári–Sós–Turán, and the Erdős–Stone theorem.


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