Helly-Type Theorems for the Ordering of the Vertices of a Hypergraph

Abstract

Let H be a complete r-uniform hypergraph such that two vertices are marked in each edge as its ‘boundary’ vertices. A linear ordering of the vertex set of H is called an agreeing linear order, provided all vertices of each edge of H lie between its two boundary vertices. We prove the following Helly-type theorem: if there is an agreeing linear order on the vertex set of every subhypergraph of H with at most 2r − 2 vertices, then there is an agreeing linear order on the vertex set of H. We also show that the constant 2r − 2 cannot be reduced in the theorem. The case r = 3 of the theorem has particular interest in the axiomatic theory of betweenness. Similar results are obtained for further r-uniform hypergraphs (r ≥ 3), where one or two vertices are marked in each edge, and the linear orders need to satisfy various rules of agreement. In one of the cases we prove that no such Helly-type statement holds.