On the on-line coloring of unit interval graphs with proper interval representation

We define the problem as a two-player game between Algorithm and Builder. The game is played in rounds. Each round, Builder presents an interval that is neither contained in nor contains any previously presented interval. Algorithm immediately and irrevocably assigns the interval a color that has not been assigned to any interval intersecting it. The set of intervals form an interval representation for a unit interval graph and the colors form a proper coloring of that graph. For every positive integer $\omega$, we define the value $R(\omega)$ as the maximum number of colors for which Builder has a strategy that forces Algorithm to use $R(\omega)$ colors with the restriction that the unit interval graph constructed cannot contain a clique of size $\omega+1$. In 1981, Chrobak and \'{S}lusarek showed that $R(\omega)\leq2\omega -1$. In 2005, Epstein and Levy showed that $R(\omega)\geq\lfloor{3\omega/2\rfloor}$. This problem remained unsolved for $\omega\geq 3$. In 2023, Bir\'o and Curbelo showed that $R(3)=5$. In this paper, we show that $R(4)=7$ Comment: To be published in Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science (DMTCS)

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Journal
Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science
Published
2025-02-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.46298/dmtcs.14088
Primary Topic
Graph Labeling and Dimension Problems
Type
article
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article

On the on-line coloring of unit interval graphs with proper interval representation

Israel R. Curbelo, Hannah R. Malko
Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science
Graph Labeling and Dimension Problems
article

On the on-line coloring of unit interval graphs with proper interval representation

Israel R. Curbelo, Hannah R. Malko
article en

Abstract

We define the problem as a two-player game between Algorithm and Builder. The game is played in rounds. Each round, Builder presents an interval that is neither contained in nor contains any previously presented interval. Algorithm immediately and irrevocably assigns the interval a color that has not been assigned to any interval intersecting it. The set of intervals form an interval representation for a unit interval graph and the colors form a proper coloring of that graph. For every positive integer $\omega$, we define the value $R(\omega)$ as the maximum number of colors for which Builder has a strategy that forces Algorithm to use $R(\omega)$ colors with the restriction that the unit interval graph constructed cannot contain a clique of size $\omega+1$. In 1981, Chrobak and \'{S}lusarek showed that $R(\omega)\leq2\omega -1$. In 2005, Epstein and Levy showed that $R(\omega)\geq\lfloor{3\omega/2\rfloor}$. This problem remained unsolved for $\omega\geq 3$. In 2023, Bir\'o and Curbelo showed that $R(3)=5$. In this paper, we show that $R(4)=7$ Comment: To be published in Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer Science (DMTCS)

Discrete Mathematics & Theoretical Computer ScienceVol. vol. 27:2(Combinatorics)
Kean University (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 96%
Graph Labeling and Dimension Problems
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