Suppose is a simple planar graph with minimum degree at least . Prove that contains an edge such that .
Solution
By adding edges we can assume that is a triangulation (note that if we add edges the minimum degree only increases and if we find an edge such that in the new graph, this edge will also be present in the original graph, since otherwise one of its endpoints would have degree smaller than in the original graph).
Let be the set of vertices, the set of edges, and the set of faces of our triangulation. Let be the degree of and let be the number of edges on the boundary of . Here, if is on the boundary of only one face, then we count it two times. Hence,
Thus, by Euler's formula, we have
since for every face . Let us give a charge to every vertex . The total charge is . The only vertices with positive initial charge are vertices satisfying . Now we discharge the system using a single rule: every vertex of degree gives charge to each of its neighbors. Clearly the total final charge is still . Thus there are vertices with positive final charge. Suppose is such a vertex. Then its final charge satisfies
Thus . Now we consider three cases.
i. Suppose with positive final charge satisfies . Then its initial charge was and thus this vertex must have gained some charge. So, one of its neighbors has degree and is the desired edge.
ii. Suppose with positive final charge satisfies . Then in the discharging process this vertex gave all its charge to its five neighbors. But since the final charge is positive, it must have gained some charge from a vertex of degree . Thus, one of its neighbors has degree and so is the desired edge.
iii. Suppose with positive final charge satisfies . Since the initial charge of was , gained charge from at least of its neighbors, so it has at least neighbors with degree . There is one more neighbor of whose degree we do not control. Since is a triangulation, the neighbors of form a cycle and clearly on this cycle there are two adjacent vertices and of degree . Thus is the desired edge.