face_monochromatic_pairs: record graph6 + invariants of Conj-5.5 counterexample; drop partial proof attempt

- Disproof remark now records the canonical graph6 string (via
  G.canonical_label().graph6_string()) and the basic invariants
  (V=40, E=60, vertex/edge-conn 3, girth 3, trivial Aut, Hamiltonian,
  not bipartite, face-length distribution).
- The graph appears to be a fresh ad-hoc construction; the
  research-analyst literature search ruled out gen. Petersen,
  C40 fullerenes, snarks, Archimedean/Catalan polyhedra, McKay's
  cubic planar non-Hamiltonian catalogues, and the Foster census.
- counterexample_conj_5_5.py now prints the canonical graph6,
  girth, |Aut|, and hamiltonicity so the invariants are reproducible
  from the script.
- The "Partial proof attempt" (Steps 1-5: local CW structure, forced-
  crossing, mod-3 Heawood face-sum, lune-face Case A, Case B TBD) is
  removed --- the counterexample disproves the conjecture outright, so
  the partial structural arguments toward it are no longer needed.
  Paper drops from 19 to 17 pages.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
2026-05-25 03:13:01 -04:00
parent 6eb85d220c
commit 0d5aebbff7
3 changed files with 19 additions and 192 deletions
@@ -314,6 +314,9 @@ def main():
G = build_graph(EDGES)
col = edge_colour_map(EDGES)
print(f" |V(H)| = {G.order()}, |E(H)| = {G.size()}")
print(f" canonical graph6 = {G.canonical_label().graph6_string()}")
print(f" girth = {G.girth()}, |Aut| = {G.automorphism_group().order()}, "
f"hamiltonian = {G.is_hamiltonian()}")
degs = sorted(set(G.degree()))
print(f" degree set = {degs}")
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+16 -192
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@@ -844,20 +844,23 @@ $h_\varphi \equiv -1$ on the vertex set of each. Globally $h_\varphi$
takes value $+1$ on $16$ vertices and $-1$ on $24$ vertices, with all
of the $+1$-vertices concentrated in the inner ``tilted ladder''
region, so that both Kempe cycles miss them entirely.
The construction and verification (cubic, planar, proper
$3$-edge-colouring, Kempe-cycle tracing, Heawood-number computation
via the CW rotation at each vertex) are in
\texttt{experiments/counterexample\_conj\_5\_5.py}, with the source
drawing in \texttt{constant\_heawood\_counterexample.tikz}.
The partial proof attempt below establishes
$|E(K_0) \cap E(K_1)| \geq 2$ (Step~2) and closes the sub-case where
two shared a-edges are consecutive on \emph{both} cycles (``Case~A''
/ Step~4). The general claim fails because in the counterexample no
pair of shared a-edges is consecutive on both cycles --- the
$K_1$-arc between two $K_0$-consecutive shared a-edges itself passes
through other shared a-edges, so the lune-face assumption of Step~4
does not hold.
\smallskip
The underlying graph appears to be a fresh ad-hoc construction: it has
$60$ edges, vertex- and edge-connectivity $3$, girth $3$ (two
triangles), is Hamiltonian, is not bipartite, has trivial
automorphism group, and its $22$ faces have lengths distributed
as $\{3{:}2,\,4{:}4,\,5{:}10,\,6{:}1,\,7{:}1,\,8{:}2,\,9{:}1,\,10{:}1\}$.
Its canonical \texttt{graph6} string (via
\texttt{G.canonical\_label().graph6\_string()}) is
\begin{center}
\small\ttfamily
ggE\_?C?O\_B?B?@C?P???B??\_?@???\_??Sa???W????@a??\_B????G\_???@?????O??@\_???@?\_???K?????\_????K?????o???B?????AG?????B?????G?????AG?????F
\end{center}
The construction, the proper $3$-edge-colouring, Kempe-cycle tracing,
and the Heawood-number computation (via the CW rotation at each
vertex) are all in \texttt{experiments/counterexample\_conj\_5\_5.py};
the source drawing is in \texttt{constant\_heawood\_counterexample.tikz}.
\end{remark}
\begin{figure}[h]
@@ -873,185 +876,6 @@ $(0, 7)$.}
\label{fig:no-two-constant-kempe-counterexample}
\end{figure}
\begin{proof}[Partial proof attempt (now superseded by
Remark~\ref{rem:no-two-constant-kempe-cycles-counterexample})]
\textbf{Note.}
Conjecture~\ref{conj:no-two-constant-kempe-cycles} is false (see the
counterexample in
Remark~\ref{rem:no-two-constant-kempe-cycles-counterexample} /
Figure~\ref{fig:no-two-constant-kempe-counterexample}). The argument
below is preserved as partial progress: Steps~1--2 are unconditional
and Step~4 closes the sub-case where some pair of shared a-edges is
consecutive on both $K_0$ and $K_1$.
Suppose for contradiction that $h_\varphi$ is constant on both
$V(K_0)$ and $V(K_1)$, and that $K_0, K_1$ share a colour-$a$ edge
$e = (u, w)$. Then $u, w \in V(K_0) \cap V(K_1)$ are consecutive on
both cycles. Since the two constants agree at the shared vertex $u$,
they agree everywhere on $V(K_0) \cup V(K_1)$; WLOG
$h_\varphi \equiv +1$ on $V(K_0) \cup V(K_1)$, so the CW edge order at
every such vertex is $(a, b, c)$.
Orient both cycles so that they leave $u$ along $e$: write the $K_0$
walk as $u = v_0 \xrightarrow{e} w = v_1 \to v_2 \to \cdots \to
v_{L_0 - 1} \to v_0$, and the $K_1$ walk as $u = u_0 \xrightarrow{e}
w = u_1 \to u_2 \to \cdots \to u_{L_1 - 1} \to u_0$. Let
$F_R(e), F_L(e)$ be the two faces of $H$ incident to $e$, with $F_R$
on the right and $F_L$ on the left of the $u \to w$ traversal.
\textbf{Step 1 (local sides at $u, w$).} The CW-order $(a, b, c)$ at
$u$ and $w$ partitions the faces of $H$ at each endpoint into three
wedges. Direct inspection (cf.\ the proof of
Lemma~\ref{lem:kempe-heawood-constant}) gives
\[
F_R(e) = F_{ab}^u = F_{ca}^w, \qquad F_L(e) = F_{ca}^u = F_{ab}^w,
\]
where $F_{\alpha\beta}^v$ is the face of $H$ at $v$ in the CW wedge
between the colour-$\alpha$ and colour-$\beta$ edges. Consequently:
\begin{itemize}
\item $e_c^u$ lies between $F_{bc}^u$ and $F_{ca}^u = F_L(e)$, so $e_c^u$
is on the side of $K_0$ containing $F_L(e)$ near $u$; call this side
$\mathrm{In}(K_0)$.
\item $e_c^w$ lies between $F_{bc}^w$ and $F_{ca}^w = F_R(e)$, so
$e_c^w$ is on the side $\mathrm{Out}(K_0)$ containing $F_R(e)$ near $w$.
\item Symmetrically, $e_b^u$ is on the side of $K_1$ containing
$F_R(e)$, call this $\mathrm{Out}(K_1)$, and $e_b^w$ is on the side
$\mathrm{In}(K_1)$ containing $F_L(e)$.
\end{itemize}
This recovers exactly the conclusion of
Lemma~\ref{lem:kempe-heawood-constant} applied to $(u, w)$ on each
cycle.
\textbf{Step 2 (forced crossings).} Consider $K_1 \setminus e$, the
path from $u$ to $w$ obtained by removing the open edge $e$ from
$K_1$. By Step~1, this path leaves $u$ on the $\mathrm{In}(K_0)$ side
and arrives at $w$ on the $\mathrm{Out}(K_0)$ side. Since $K_0$
separates the plane into its two sides and $K_1 \setminus e$ is a
continuous arc, the path must intersect $V(K_0)$ at an odd number of
points strictly between $u$ and $w$ along the $K_1$-walk.
At any such intersection $x \in V(K_0) \cap V(K_1) \setminus \{u, w\}$,
$K_1$ uses the colour-$a$ edge at $x$ (since $K_1$ uses only colours
$a, c$ and only colour-$a$ edges can lie on $K_0$). That colour-$a$
edge is therefore a shared edge $e^* \in E(K_0) \cap E(K_1)$ with
$e^* \neq e$; both endpoints of $e^*$ lie in $V(K_0) \cap V(K_1)$.
So $|E(K_0) \cap E(K_1)| - 1$ equals the (odd) number of crossings,
giving
\[
|E(K_0) \cap E(K_1)| \text{ is even, and } \geq 2.
\]
The symmetric argument applied to $K_0 \setminus e$ crossing $K_1$
yields the same conclusion.
\textbf{Step 3 (Heawood face-sum on each face of $K_0 \cup K_1$).}
View $K_0 \cup K_1$ as a planar subgraph of $H$ and consider any face
$\Phi$ of this subgraph. Let $F_\Phi$ be the set of $H$-faces lying
inside (the closed region of) $\Phi$. Applying Heawood's classical
face-sum identity
$\sum_{v \in \partial f} h_\varphi(v) \equiv 0 \pmod 3$
\cite{Heawood1898}
to every $f \in F_\Phi$ and summing gives
\[
\sum_{f \in F_\Phi} \sum_{v \in \partial f} h_\varphi(v) \;=\;
\sum_{v} \mathrm{mult}_\Phi(v)\, h_\varphi(v) \;\equiv\; 0 \pmod 3,
\]
where $\mathrm{mult}_\Phi(v)$ counts the number of $H$-faces in
$F_\Phi$ whose boundary contains $v$.
A direct case-check on the cubic vertex structure gives:
\begin{itemize}
\item $\mathrm{mult}_\Phi(v) = 3$ if $v$ is strictly interior to $\Phi$
(all three $H$-faces at $v$ lie in $F_\Phi$);
\item $\mathrm{mult}_\Phi(v) = 1$ if $v$ is a degree-$3$
(shared, branching) vertex of $K_0 \cup K_1$ on $\partial\Phi$ (only
one of $v$'s three wedges lies in $\Phi$);
\item $\mathrm{mult}_\Phi(v) = 2$ if $v$ is a degree-$2$ (non-shared)
vertex of $K_0 \cup K_1$ on $\partial\Phi$ \emph{and} $v$'s third edge
points into $\Phi$ (the third edge subdivides $v$'s wedge in $\Phi$
into two $H$-faces);
\item $\mathrm{mult}_\Phi(v) = 1$ if $v$ is a degree-$2$ non-shared
boundary vertex with its third edge pointing into the opposite face.
\end{itemize}
Under the contradiction hypothesis $h_\varphi \equiv +1$ on
$V(K_0) \cup V(K_1) \supseteq \partial\Phi$, the boundary contribution
collapses to
\[
\sigma_\Phi + \nu_{1,\Phi} + 2\,\nu_{2,\Phi}
\;=\; \ell_\Phi + \nu_{2,\Phi}
\;\equiv\; 0 \pmod 3,
\]
where $\sigma_\Phi$ counts shared boundary vertices of $\Phi$,
$\nu_{1,\Phi}$ and $\nu_{2,\Phi}$ count non-shared boundary vertices
with third edge pointing out of / into $\Phi$ respectively, and
$\ell_\Phi$ is the boundary length of $\Phi$. (The interior
contribution is a multiple of $3$ and drops out.) Hence
\begin{equation}
\label{eq:face-sum-mod3}
\nu_{2,\Phi} \;\equiv\; -\ell_\Phi \pmod 3
\quad\text{for every face } \Phi \text{ of } K_0 \cup K_1.
\end{equation}
\textbf{Step 4 (lune-face contradiction, ``Case A'' sub-case).}
Suppose there exist two shared a-edges $e_1 = (p, p')$ and
$e_2 = (q, q')$ which are consecutive on \emph{both} the $K_0$-walk
\emph{and} the $K_1$-walk (so the $K_0$-arc from $p'$ to $q$ and the
$K_1$-arc from $p'$ to $q$ both have all-non-shared interior). In
particular, when $|E(K_0) \cap E(K_1)| = 2$ this is automatic, but in
general it is an extra hypothesis. Let $A_1$ be the $K_0$-arc from
$p'$ to $q$ of length $m$. The arc begins with the colour-$b$ edge at
$p'$ and ends with the colour-$b$ edge at $q$, so $m$ is odd. Two
cases for the cyclic order in which $K_1$ visits $\{p, p', q, q'\}$:
\begin{description}
\item[Case A.] $K_1$ visits them in the same cyclic order
$p, p', q, q'$ as $K_0$. Then $K_1$ has a $K_1$-arc $B_1$ from $p'$
to $q$ (between $e_1$ and $e_2$ on the $K_1$-walk), of odd length
$n$, whose intermediate vertices are all non-shared.
\item[Case B.] $K_1$ visits them in the opposite order
$p, p', q', q$. Then $K_1$'s arcs between $e_1, e_2$ go from $p'$ to
$q'$ and from $q$ to $p$; they do not share endpoints with $A_1$.
\end{description}
\emph{Case A is impossible.} The arcs $A_1$ and $B_1$ share both
endpoints $p', q$ and meet only at those endpoints, so they bound a
``lune'' face $\Phi^*$ of $K_0 \cup K_1$ whose boundary has exactly
two corners (both of wedge type $(b, c)$) and length $m + n$. Now
\begin{itemize}
\item Every intermediate vertex of $B_1$ is a non-shared $K_1$-vertex,
hence not on $K_0$, hence lies in one of the two open regions of
$\mathbb{R}^2 \setminus K_0$. Since $B_1$ is a connected path joining
$p', q \in V(K_0)$ and never visits $V(K_0)$ in its interior,
$B_1 \setminus \{p', q\}$ lies entirely on \emph{one} side of $K_0$.
In particular the colour-$c$ edges at $p'$ and at $q$ (the first
and last edges of $B_1$) point into the \emph{same} side of $K_0$.
\item By Lemma~\ref{lem:kempe-heawood-constant} applied along the
$K_0$-arc from $p'$ to $q$, consecutive colour-$c$ non-cycle edges
alternate sides. After $m$ steps with $m$ odd, the colour-$c$ edges
at $p'$ and at $q$ lie on \emph{opposite} sides of $K_0$.
\end{itemize}
These two conclusions are incompatible, contradicting the assumption
that both $K_0$ and $K_1$ have constant $h_\varphi$ in Case A.
\textbf{Step 5 (Case B --- TBD).} In Case B, the four faces of
$K_0 \cup K_1$ are each three-corner ``triangles'' bounded by one
$K_0$-arc, one $K_1$-arc, and one shared a-edge (one corner each of
types $(a,b)$, $(b,c)$, $(c,a)$). For such a face the
Step~4 lune argument does not apply: $A_1$ and the corresponding
$K_1$-arc $B_1$ no longer share both endpoints, and both
Lemma~\ref{lem:kempe-heawood-constant} alternations and the mod-$3$
constraint~\eqref{eq:face-sum-mod3} can be checked to be
consistent on the parity counts. The contradiction in this case is
\emph{open}.
\emph{Empirical note.} The theorem's hypothesis is never observed:
across the $142{,}812$ chord-apex+Kempe colourings of reduced duals
with $|V(G)| \le 20$, ``$h_\varphi$ constant on $V(K_b)$'' fails on
every colouring (see \texttt{experiments/check\_constancy\_obstruction.py}
and Remark~\ref{rem:heawood-empirical}).
\end{proof}
\begin{remark}[Empirical near-proof of Conjecture~\ref{conj:face-monochromatic-pair-on-merged-kempe-cycle} via Corollary~\ref{cor:single-cycle-non-constancy}]
\label{rem:heawood-empirical}
\sloppy