Geodetic sets in graphs

Abstract

For two vertices u and v of a graph G, the closed interval I[u, v] consists of u, v, and all vertices lying in some u − v geodesic in G. If S is a set of vertices of G, then I[S] is the union of all sets I[u, v] for u, v ∈ S. If I[S] = V (G), then S is a geodetic set for G. The geodetic number g(G) is the minimum cardinality of a geodetic set. A set S of vertices in a graph G is uniform if the distance between every two distinct vertices of S is the same fixed number. A geodetic set is essential if for every two distinct vertices u, v ∈ S, there exists a third vertex w of G that lies in some u− v geodesic but in no x− y geodesic for x, y ∈ S and {x, y} 6= {u, v}. It is shown that for every integer k ≥ 2, there exists a connected graph G with g(G) = k which contains a uniform, essential minimum geodetic set. A minimal geodetic set S has no proper subset which is a geodetic set. The maximum cardinality of a minimal geodetic set is the upper geodetic number g(G). It is shown that every two integers a and b with 2 ≤ a ≤ b are realizable as the geodetic and upper geodetic numbers, respectively, of some graph and when a < b the minimum order of such a graph is b + 2.