Adopts the k>=2 refinement of the loose chain pigeonhole conjecture
(per loose_conjecture_counterexamples.tex) and runs a broader sweep:
- All 6 Holton-McKay non-Hamiltonian 38-vertex cubic plane graphs.
- 3 candidate matching 6-edge cuts per graph (greedy search,
preferring matching cuts then balance).
- Both sides of each cut.
- All depths d >= 1.
- Brute-force enumerate proper edge 3-colorings (skipping cut
tires with > 14 edges due to runtime).
Results:
- 287 total cut tires examined.
- 154 with k >= 2 in/out spokes.
- 107 verifiable (≤ 14 edges).
- ALL 107 passed: |π(T)| >= 6 with at least one full S_3-orbit.
- 0 counterexamples found.
This is strong empirical support for the k>=2 form of the loose
conjecture's per-tire half.
The cut_depth_label note (now 7 pages) is updated with:
- k >= 2 restriction in the conjecture statement.
- Restriction rationale (k=1 trivially excluded).
- Status: empirical sweep + provable spoke-only case.
Files:
experiments/loose_conjecture_sweep.py
experiments/loose_conjecture_sweep_data.txt
notes/cut_depth_label.tex (updated)
Next step: the per-tire half is essentially provable for spoke-only
cut tires via Prop 1.13. The chain half remains the genuinely open
piece.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
didericis
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