On the connected metric dimension of graphs and their complements

Abstract

Let [Formula: see text] be a graph with vertex set [Formula: see text], and let [Formula: see text] denote the length of a shortest [Formula: see text] path in [Formula: see text]. A set [Formula: see text] is called a connected resolving set of [Formula: see text] if, for any distinct [Formula: see text], there exists a vertex [Formula: see text] such that [Formula: see text], and the subgraph of [Formula: see text] induced by [Formula: see text] is connected. The connected metric dimension, [Formula: see text], of [Formula: see text] is the minimum of the cardinalities over all connected resolving sets of [Formula: see text]. For a graph [Formula: see text] and its complement [Formula: see text], each of order [Formula: see text] and connected, we conjecture that [Formula: see text]; if [Formula: see text] is a tree or a unicyclic graph, we prove the conjecture and characterize graphs achieving equality.