4.05 Eulerian and Hamiltonian graphs

Eulerian and semi-Eulerian graphs

Consider the following graphs. Check that you can start at one vertex and travel along each edge exactly once without lifting your pen from the paper. 

Each graph has a trail that uses every edge exactly once. The trail on the left is open and starts and finishes at different vertices. The graph on the right is closed and any vertex can be the start/end.

Traversable is the word to describe graphs where you can start at a vertex and draw in all the edges without taking your pen off the page.

If a graph has a closed trail that uses every edge (it starts and finishes at the same vertex), it is called Eulerian (named after the same Euler who gave us the formula $v-e+f=2$v−e+f=2). It can also be called an Eulerian trail or an Eulerian circuit.

If a graph has an open trail that uses every edge (it starts and finishes at different vertices), it is described as semi-Eulerian. It can also be called a semi-Eulerian trail.

It is possible to determine if an undirected graph is Eulerian or semi-Eulerian without having to actually find the trail:

• If a graph has exactly two vertices of odd degree, then the graph is semi-Eulerian. These two vertices will be the start and the end of the open semi-Eulerian trail.
• If a graph has all even vertices, then the graph is Eulerian. The closed Eulerian trail can start at any vertex.

Worked example

Example 1

Describe the network below as Eulerian, semi-Eulerian or neither. Justify your answer. 

Think: Calculate the degree of each vertex. Eulerian will have all even vertices, semi-Eulerian will have exactly two odd vertices. 

Do: Write - The graph is semi-Eulerian because the top and bottom vertices are both odd (degree 5) and the other two vertices are even (degree 2).

Practice questions

Question 1 

Question 2

Question 3

Hamiltonian and semi-Hamiltonian graphs

When we looked at Eulerian graphs, we were focused on using each of the edges just once.

We will now look at Hamiltonian graphs, which are named after Sir William Hamilton - an Irish mathematician, physicist and astronomer.

A Hamiltonian graph is a graph which has a closed path (cycle) that visits each vertex exactly once, ending on the same vertex as it began. This closed path is also called a Hamiltonian cycle.

In the graph below, the Hamiltonian cycle is marked in red. As it is a cycle, we cannot have repeated edges or repeated vertices. Note that we do not need to use all the edges in order to visit each vertex once.

Other Hamiltonian cycles here include $ABDCA$ABDCA, $DBACD$DBACD, and many others.

A semi-Hamiltonian path is a path that visits every vertex once and starts and ends at different vertices. Semi-Hamiltonian graphs are sometimes called traceable.

If a graph has a Hamiltonian cycle then it automatically has a semi-Hamiltonian path (by just dropping off the last vertex in the cycle we create a path - for example, $ABDC$ABDC and $DBAC$DBAC in the graph above).

Unlike Eulerian and semi-Eulerian paths, there is no systematic procedure to help us identify if a semi-Hamiltonian path or Hamiltonian cycle exists. The only thing we can do is look for them.

Here are three networks:

• the first is semi-Hamiltonian and has a semi-Hamiltonian path highlighted;
• the second is Hamiltonian and has a Hamiltonian cycle highlighted;
• the third does not have a Hamiltonian or semi-Hamiltonian path.

Hamiltonian paths in complete graphs

The following graph is a complete graph. Recall that means each vertex is connected to every other vertex. It has many semi-Hamiltonian paths and Hamiltonian cycles. How many can you find?

Remember, a semi-Hamiltonian path is a path where we visit each of the vertices only once. Here is the full list of semi-Hamiltonian paths for this graph:

$ABCD$ABCD, $ABDC$ABDC, $ADCB$ADCB, $ADBC$ADBC, $ACBD$ACBD, $ACDB$ACDB, $BACD$BACD, $BADC$BADC, $BCDA$BCDA, $BCAD$BCAD, $BDAC$BDAC, $BDCA$BDCA, $CABD$CABD, $CADB$CADB, $CBDA$CBDA, $CBAD$CBAD, $CDBA$CDBA, $CDAB$CDAB, $DABC$DABC, $DACB$DACB, $DBAC$DBAC, $DBCA$DBCA, $DCAB$DCAB and $DCBA$DCBA.

So the list of semi-Hamiltonian paths is actually just all combinations of the four vertices $A$A, $B$B, $C$C and $D$D.

Also, because it is a complete graph all of the paths listed above can be turned into Hamiltonian cycles by returning to the original node.

Worked examples

Example 2

State a semi-Hamiltonian path in the graph below. .

Think: In a semi-Hamiltonian path we do not need to use all the edges in order to visit each vertex once.

Do: Write: the path $ABCDE$ABCDE is semi-Hamiltonian (there are others too!).

Example 3

Determine if this directed network is Hamiltonian, semi-Hamiltonian or neither.

Think: For directed graphs, we can still have Hamiltonian/semi-Hamiltonian paths and Eulerian/semi-Eulerian trails (but there's no easy way to find them like there is for undirected graphs), you just have to use trial and error and make sure you are following the arrows in the correct direction.

Do: Write: this network is semi-Hamiltonian. The paths $PUTSQR$PUTSQR and $QSUTPR$QSUTPR visit each vertex once. 

Practice questions

Question 4 

Question 5 

Question 6

A graph can be a traversable Eulerian/semi-Eulerian, a Hamiltonian/semi-Hamiltonian network, both, or neither, as these examples demonstrate:

The first is Eulerian and Hamiltonian, the second is only Hamiltonian, the third is only Eulerian, and the fourth is neither.