In today's world, Goldner–Harary graph has become a topic of general interest covering a wide spectrum of applications. From its impact on society to its relevance in the global economy, the study of Goldner–Harary graph has gained undeniable importance in various fields of knowledge. In this article, we will explore the different facets of Goldner–Harary graph and its influence on our daily lives. From its origins to its evolution today, we will delve into a detailed analysis that will allow us to better understand the importance and scope of Goldner–Harary graph in the contemporary world.
| Goldner–Harary graph | |
|---|---|
| Named after | A. Goldner, Frank Harary |
| Vertices | 11 |
| Edges | 27 |
| Radius | 2 |
| Diameter | 2 |
| Girth | 3 |
| Automorphisms | 12 (D6) |
| Chromatic number | 4 |
| Chromatic index | 8 |
| Properties | Polyhedral Planar Chordal Perfect Treewidth 3 |
| Table of graphs and parameters | |
In the mathematical field of graph theory, the Goldner–Harary graph is a simple undirected graph with 11 vertices and 27 edges. It is named after Anita M. Goldner and Frank Harary, who proved in 1975 that it was the smallest non-Hamiltonian maximal planar graph.[1][2][3] The same graph had already been given as an example of a non-Hamiltonian simplicial polyhedron by Branko Grünbaum in 1967.[4]
The Goldner–Harary graph is a planar graph: it can be drawn in the plane with none of its edges crossing. When drawn on a plane, all its faces are triangular, making it a maximal planar graph.[5] As with every maximal planar graph, it is also 3-vertex-connected: the removal of any two of its vertices leaves a connected subgraph.
The Goldner–Harary graph is also non-Hamiltonian.[5] The smallest possible number of vertices for a non-Hamiltonian polyhedral graph is 11. Therefore, the Goldner–Harary graph is a minimal example of graphs of this type. However, the Herschel graph, another non-Hamiltonian polyhedron with 11 vertices, has fewer edges.[6]
As a non-Hamiltonian maximal planar graph, the Goldner–Harary graph provides an example of a planar graph with book thickness greater than two.[7] Based on the existence of such examples, Bernhart and Kainen conjectured that the book thickness of planar graphs could be made arbitrarily large, but it was subsequently shown that all planar graphs have book thickness at most four.[8]
It has book thickness 3, chromatic number 4, chromatic index 8, girth 3, radius 2, diameter 2 and is a 3-edge-connected graph.
It is also a 3-tree, and therefore it has treewidth 3. Like any k-tree,[9] it is a chordal graph.[10] As a planar 3-tree, it forms an example of an Apollonian network.[11]
The automorphism group of the Goldner–Harary graph is of order 12 and is isomorphic to the dihedral group D6, the group of symmetries of a regular hexagon, including both rotations and reflections.
The characteristic polynomial of the Goldner–Harary graph is : .

By Steinitz's theorem, the Goldner–Harary graph is a polyhedral graph: it is planar and 3-connected, so there exists a convex polyhedron having the Goldner–Harary graph as its skeleton.[12] Geometrically, the Goldner–Harary graph represents a simplicial polyhedron, formed by gluing tetrahedra onto each face of a triangular dipyramid. In other words, it is the Kleetope of the triangular dipyramid.[4][13] When the glued tetrahedra are regular tetrahedron, the result is a non-convex deltahedron, a polyhedron all of whose faces are equilateral triangles. The dual graph of the Goldner–Harary graph is represented geometrically by the truncation of the triangular prism.