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Auteurs principaux: Czabarka, Éva, Helm, Alec
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2026
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Accès en ligne:https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.03717
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author Czabarka, Éva
Helm, Alec
author_facet Czabarka, Éva
Helm, Alec
contents Motivated by Kuratowski's theorem, a Kuratowski subgraph of a graph is a subgraph that is a subdivided $K_5$ or a subdivided $K_{3,3}$. An edge is crossing-critical if the crossing number decreases after removing the edge. In this note, we present the following examples: a graph with an edge that is crossed in every optimal drawing of the graph, but the edge is not in any Kuratowski subgraph of the graph; a graph with an edge that is in every Kuratowski subgraph but is not crossed in any optimal drawing of the graph; and a graph with a crossing-critical edge that is not present in any Kuratowski subgraph and is not crossed in any optimal drawing of the graph. Fáry's theorem implies that the Kuratowski subgraphs are the only obstructions to a graph having a crossing-free drawing with all edges drawn as straight lines. The three example graphs given also hold if we restrict drawings to only have straight line edges, and thus also apply to the rectilinear crossing number.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_03717
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Curious crossing-critical edges -- variations on an example of Širáň
Czabarka, Éva
Helm, Alec
Combinatorics
Motivated by Kuratowski's theorem, a Kuratowski subgraph of a graph is a subgraph that is a subdivided $K_5$ or a subdivided $K_{3,3}$. An edge is crossing-critical if the crossing number decreases after removing the edge. In this note, we present the following examples: a graph with an edge that is crossed in every optimal drawing of the graph, but the edge is not in any Kuratowski subgraph of the graph; a graph with an edge that is in every Kuratowski subgraph but is not crossed in any optimal drawing of the graph; and a graph with a crossing-critical edge that is not present in any Kuratowski subgraph and is not crossed in any optimal drawing of the graph. Fáry's theorem implies that the Kuratowski subgraphs are the only obstructions to a graph having a crossing-free drawing with all edges drawn as straight lines. The three example graphs given also hold if we restrict drawings to only have straight line edges, and thus also apply to the rectilinear crossing number.
title Curious crossing-critical edges -- variations on an example of Širáň
topic Combinatorics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.03717