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Polygon Diagonal Intersection Graph


PolygonDiagonalIntersectionGraph

The polygon diagonal intersection graph R_n is the planar graph obtained from a regular polygon with n>=3 sides by drawing all its diagonals. Its vertices are the polygon vertices and the interior intersection points of the diagonals. Its edges are the sides of the regular polygon and the segments into which the intersection points split the diagonals (Poonen and Rubinstein 1998).

For purposes of extending the vertex- and edge-count sequences below to n=1 and 2, set R_1=K_1 and R_2=K_2, where K_n is the complete graph. With these conventions, the vertex counts v_n of R_n for n=1, 2, ... are 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 19, 42, 57, 135, 171, ... (OEIS A007569). For n>=3, these vertex counts are given by a finite sum of

 delta_m(n)={1   if n=0 (mod m); 0   otherwise.
(1)

times polynomials in n with m=2, 4, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 42, 60, 84, 90, 120, and 210 (Poonen and Rubinstein 1998).

For n=1, 2, ..., the edge counts e_n of R_n are 0, 1, 3, 8, 20, 42, 91, 136, 288, ... (OEIS A135565), which are again given by a finite sum of polynomials times delta_m(n).

Similarly, for n=3, 4, ..., the numbers of regions f_n into which the polygon is divided are given by 1, 4, 11, 24, 50, 80, 154, 220, 375, ... (OEIS A007678), where the nth term is given in closed form by

 f_n=1/(24)(n^4-6n^3+23n^2-42n+24)+1/(48)(-5n^3+42n^2-40n-48)delta_2(n)-3/4ndelta_4(n)+1/(12)(-53n^2+310n)delta_6(n)+(49)/2ndelta_(12)(n)+32ndelta_(18)(n)+19ndelta_(24)(n)-36ndelta_(30)(n)-50ndelta_(42)(n)-190ndelta_(60)(n)-78ndelta_(84)(n)-48ndelta_(90)(n)-78ndelta_(120)(n)-48ndelta_(210)(n).
(2)

For odd n>=3, all terms but the first drop out, so the numbers of regions are given by

 f_n=1/(24)(n^4-6n^3+23n^2-42n+24).
(3)

Precomputed properties of polygonal diagonal intersection graphs are implemented in the Wolfram Language as GraphData[{"DiagonalIntersection", n}].


See also

Complete Graph, Euler's Polygon Division Problem, Polygon Diagonal, Regular Polygon, Regular Polygon Division by Diagonals

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References

Dan. "Regular n-Gon with Diagonals: Bounds on Area of Largest Cell?" Dec. 17, 2022. https://mathoverflow.net/questions/436753/regular-n-gon-with-diagonals-bounds-on-area-of-largest-cell.Griffiths, M. "Counting the Regions in a Regular Drawing of K_(n,n)." J. Int. Seq. 13, No. 10.8.5, 2010. https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/journals/JIS/VOL13/Griffiths2/griffiths.html.House of Graphs. Polygon Diagonal Intersection Graphs. Triangle K3, Wheel W5, and Circulant C10 (1,2).Meeus, J. Wiskunde Post (Belgium) 10, 62-63, 1972.Pickover, C. A. "The Beauty of Polygon Slicing." Ch. 58 in The Mathematics of Oz: Mental Gymnastics from beyond the Edge. New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 132-134 and 314, 2002.Poonen, B. and Rubinstein, M. "Number of Intersection Points Made by the Diagonals of a Regular Polygon." SIAM J. Disc. Math. 11, 135-156, 1998. https://doi.org/10.1137/S0895480195281246.Sloane, N. J. A. Sequences A007569/M0724, A007678, and A135565 in "The On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences."

Referenced on Wolfram|Alpha

Polygon Diagonal Intersection Graph

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Polygon Diagonal Intersection Graph." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/PolygonDiagonalIntersectionGraph.html

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