coloring_nested_tire_graphs: conjecture sketch on universal nesting

NEW Conjecture 1.19 (universal nesting of tire-tread trees,
sketch):

For any two rooted trees of tire treads T_1 = T(G_1, S_1) and
T_2 = T(G_2, S_2), T_1 NESTS into T_2:

Choose any tire T in T_2 and any non-trivial bounded face f of
its inner outerplanar graph O^(T). Then there exists a maximal
planar graph G̃ with level source S̃ such that:
  (N1) T(G̃, S̃) contains T_2 as a sub-tree.
  (N2) The sub-tree rooted at the new child of T at face f is
       isomorphic to T_1.

Informally: any tree of tire treads can be inserted into any
non-trivial face slot of any other tree of tire treads. The
class of trees of tire treads is closed under composition by
face-slot insertion.

Followed by Remark 1.20 motivating the conjecture:

- Compositional colourability: if 4-colourability of G̃ follows
  from 4-colourability of G_1, G_2 via parent-child consistency
  (Remark 1.18 / former tree-coloring-factorisation), then 4CT
  propagates through nesting. A min 4CT counterexample would have
  to be irreducible under such nesting.

- Universality: trees of tire treads become a "term algebra" for
  decomposing plane triangulations; coloring arguments can be
  inductive on this algebra.

Open subquestions in remark:
  - Precise notion of "isomorphic as rooted trees of tire treads"
    (combinatorial vs geometric vs up to embedding).
  - Constructive description of G̃ from G_1, G_2, f.
  - Compatibility with Birkhoff's internally 6-connected condition.

Page count: 12 → ~13.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
2026-05-27 03:32:44 -04:00
parent 787d9f0caf
commit 6413560a7b
4 changed files with 109 additions and 38 deletions
+5 -3
View File
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@
\newlabel{rem:count-general-outerplanar}{{1.16}{10}}
\newlabel{thm:tread-tree}{{1.17}{10}}
\newlabel{rem:tree-multiple-children}{{1.18}{11}}
\newlabel{rem:tree-coloring-factorisation}{{1.19}{12}}
\newlabel{conj:universal-nesting}{{1.20}{12}}
\newlabel{rem:nesting-motivation}{{1.21}{12}}
\bibcite{tait-original}{1}
\bibcite{bauerfeld-depth}{2}
\bibcite{bauerfeld-nested-tire-duals}{3}
@@ -38,6 +41,5 @@
\newlabel{tocindent1}{17.77782pt}
\newlabel{tocindent2}{0pt}
\newlabel{tocindent3}{0pt}
\newlabel{rem:tree-coloring-factorisation}{{1.19}{12}}
\@writefile{toc}{\contentsline {section}{\tocsection {}{}{References}}{12}{}\protected@file@percent }
\gdef \@abspage@last{12}
\@writefile{toc}{\contentsline {section}{\tocsection {}{}{References}}{13}{}\protected@file@percent }
\gdef \@abspage@last{13}
+35 -35
View File
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
This is pdfTeX, Version 3.141592653-2.6-1.40.24 (TeX Live 2022) (preloaded format=pdflatex 2022.10.5) 27 MAY 2026 03:04
This is pdfTeX, Version 3.141592653-2.6-1.40.24 (TeX Live 2022) (preloaded format=pdflatex 2022.10.5) 27 MAY 2026 03:32
entering extended mode
restricted \write18 enabled.
%&-line parsing enabled.
@@ -511,45 +511,45 @@ Package pdftex.def Info: fig_tire_example.png used on input line 179.
LaTeX Warning: `h' float specifier changed to `ht'.
[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] (./paper.aux) )
[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] (./paper.aux) )
Here is how much of TeX's memory you used:
14048 strings out of 478268
279229 string characters out of 5846347
563840 words of memory out of 5000000
31872 multiletter control sequences out of 15000+600000
14050 strings out of 478268
279277 string characters out of 5846347
563864 words of memory out of 5000000
31874 multiletter control sequences out of 15000+600000
478218 words of font info for 62 fonts, out of 8000000 for 9000
1302 hyphenation exceptions out of 8191
84i,12n,89p,1156b,803s stack positions out of 10000i,1000n,20000p,200000b,200000s
</usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/f
onts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmbx10.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fo
nts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmbx8.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/font
s/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmcsc10.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/font
s/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmex10.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts
/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmmi10.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/
type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmmi5.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/ty
pe1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmmi6.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type
1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmmi7.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/
public/amsfonts/cm/cmmi8.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/pu
blic/amsfonts/cm/cmmi9.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/publ
ic/amsfonts/cm/cmr10.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public
/amsfonts/cm/cmr5.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/am
sfonts/cm/cmr6.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfo
nts/cm/cmr7.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts
/cm/cmr8.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm
/cmr9.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cm
sy10.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cms
y5.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmsy6
.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmsy7.p
fb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmsy9.pfb
></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmti10.pfb>
</usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmti8.pfb></
usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/symbols/msam10.pf
b></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/symbols/msbm1
0.pfb>
Output written on paper.pdf (12 pages, 618557 bytes).
</usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-d
ist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmbx10.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-di
st/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmbx8.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist
/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmcsc10.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist
/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmex10.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/
fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmmi10.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/f
onts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmmi5.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fon
ts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmmi6.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts
/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmmi7.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/t
ype1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmmi8.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/typ
e1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmmi9.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1
/public/amsfonts/cm/cmr10.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/p
ublic/amsfonts/cm/cmr5.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/publ
ic/amsfonts/cm/cmr6.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/
amsfonts/cm/cmr7.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/ams
fonts/cm/cmr8.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfon
ts/cm/cmr9.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/
cm/cmsy10.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/c
m/cmsy5.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/
cmsy6.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cm
sy7.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmsy
9.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmti10
.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmti8.p
fb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/symbols/msam
10.pfb></usr/local/texlive/2022/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/symbols/
msbm10.pfb>
Output written on paper.pdf (13 pages, 623232 bytes).
PDF statistics:
177 PDF objects out of 1000 (max. 8388607)
107 compressed objects within 2 object streams
181 PDF objects out of 1000 (max. 8388607)
110 compressed objects within 2 object streams
0 named destinations out of 1000 (max. 500000)
23 words of extra memory for PDF output out of 10000 (max. 10000000)
Binary file not shown.
@@ -950,6 +950,75 @@ This is the structural setup underlying the chain-pigeonhole
program for tire treads.
\end{remark}
\begin{conjecture}[Universal nesting of tire-tread trees, sketch]
\label{conj:universal-nesting}
For any two rooted trees of tire treads
$\mathcal{T}_1 = \mathcal{T}(G_1, S_1)$ and
$\mathcal{T}_2 = \mathcal{T}(G_2, S_2)$ arising from maximal planar
graphs $G_1, G_2$ with respective single-vertex level sources
$S_1, S_2$, the following holds: $\mathcal{T}_1$ \emph{nests}
into $\mathcal{T}_2$.
By ``$\mathcal{T}_1$ nests into $\mathcal{T}_2$'' we mean:
\begin{itemize}
\item Choose any tire tread $T \in \mathcal{T}_2$ and any non-trivial
bounded face $f$ of its inner outerplanar graph $O^{(T)}$
(i.e.\ a face whose interior currently contains depth-$\ge d+2$
vertices of $G_2$, where $d = \mathrm{depth}(T)$).
\item Then there exists a maximal planar graph $\tilde G$ with
level source $\tilde S$ such that:
\begin{enumerate}
\item[(N1)] $\mathcal{T}(\tilde G, \tilde S)$ contains
$\mathcal{T}_2$ as a sub-tree (with every
tire tread of $\mathcal{T}_2$ preserved
combinatorially and embedded);
\item[(N2)] the sub-tree of $\mathcal{T}(\tilde G, \tilde S)$
rooted at the child of $T$ corresponding to face
$f$ is isomorphic, as a rooted tree of tire treads,
to $\mathcal{T}_1$.
\end{enumerate}
\end{itemize}
\medskip
Informally: any tree of tire treads can be ``inserted'' into any
non-trivial face slot of any other tree of tire treads, producing
a larger maximal planar graph whose tree of tire treads is the
nested combination. The class of trees of tire treads is
\emph{closed under composition} by face-slot insertion.
\end{conjecture}
\begin{remark}
\label{rem:nesting-motivation}
The conjectured closure under nesting carries two structural
implications for the Four Colour Theorem programme:
\begin{itemize}
\item \emph{Compositional colourability.} If colourability of
$\tilde G$ in (N1)--(N2) can be decided from the colourability
of $G_1$ and $G_2$ alone (via the parent--child consistency
constraints of Remark~\ref{rem:tree-coloring-factorisation}),
then $4$-colourability propagates through nesting. A
minimum $4$CT counterexample (if it exists) would have to be
\emph{irreducible} under such nesting --- it could not be
decomposed into strictly smaller trees of tire treads whose
colourings combine to a colouring of the whole.
\item \emph{Universality.} Universal nesting positions trees of
tire treads as a kind of ``term algebra'' for the structural
decomposition of plane triangulations. Coloring arguments
can then be formulated inductively on this term algebra,
with the chain-pigeonhole step
(Remark~\ref{rem:tree-coloring-factorisation}) supplying the
composition rule.
\end{itemize}
Open questions include: which precise notion of ``isomorphic as
rooted trees of tire treads'' should be used (combinatorial,
geometric, or up to embedding)? Does the nested triangulation
$\tilde G$ admit a constructive description from $G_1, G_2$ and
the choice of face $f$? And does nesting respect Birkhoff's
internally $6$-connected condition for minimum counterexamples?
\end{remark}
\begin{thebibliography}{9}