Hypergraphs and abstract polygons

Abstract

The notion of a graph has recently been generalized to include structures called hypergraphs which have two or more vertices per edge. A hypergraph is called 2-settled if each pair of distinct vertices is contained in at most one edge. A connected 2-settled hypergraph which has at least two edges through each vertex might be called an abstract polygon. Lemma: Every abstract polygon contains a cycle. Shephard and Coxeter have examined certain abstract polygons called regular complex polygons, each of which is denoted by a symbol p {q} r where there are p vertices on each edge and r edges through each vertex. Theorem: The girth of the non-starry regular complex polygon p {q} r is q. Thus, the number q is finally given a simple combinatoric interpretation.