Linear balanceable and subcubic balanceable graphs

Abstract

In Math Program 55(1992), 129-168, Conforti and Rao conjectured that every balanced bipartite graph contains an edge that is not the unique chord of a cycle. We prove this conjecture for balanced bipartite graphs that do not contain a cycle of length 4 (also known as linear balanced bipartite graphs), and for balanced bipartite graphs whose maximum degree is at most 3. We in fact obtain results for more general classes, namely linear balanceable and subcubic balanceable graphs. Additionally, we prove that cubic balanced graphs contain a pair of twins, a result that was conjectured by Morris, Spiga, and Webb in (Discrete Math 310(2010), 3228-3235). © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.