Biased graph

In mathematics, a biased graph is a graph with a list of distinguished circles (edge sets of simple cycles), such that if two circles in the list are contained in a theta graph, then the third circle of the theta graph is also in the list. A biased graph is a generalization of the combinatorial essentials of a gain graph and in particular of a signed graph. In mathematics, a biased graph is a graph with a list of distinguished circles (edge sets of simple cycles), such that if two circles in the list are contained in a theta graph, then the third circle of the theta graph is also in the list. A biased graph is a generalization of the combinatorial essentials of a gain graph and in particular of a signed graph. Formally, a biased graph Ω is a pair (G, B) where B is a linear class of circles; this by definition is a class of circles that satisfies the theta-graph property mentioned above. A subgraph or edge set whose circles are all in B (and which contains no half-edges) is called balanced. For instance, a circle belonging to B is balanced and one that does not belong to B is unbalanced. Biased graphs are interesting mostly because of their matroids, but also because of their connection with multiary quasigroups. See below. A biased graph may have half-edges (one endpoint) and loose edges (no endpoints). The edges with two endpoints are of two kinds: a link has two distinct endpoints, while a loop has two coinciding endpoints. Linear classes of circles are a special case of linear subclasses of circuits in a matroid. A minor of a biased graph Ω = (G, B) is the result of any sequence of taking subgraphs and contracting edge sets. For biased graphs, as for graphs, it suffices to take a subgraph (which may be the whole graph) and then contract an edge set (which may be the empty set). A subgraph of Ω consists of a subgraph H of the underlying graph G, with balanced circle class consisting of those balanced circles that are in H. The deletion of an edge set S, written Ω − S, is the subgraph with all vertices and all edges except those of S. Contraction of Ω is relatively complicated. To contract one edge e, the procedure depends on the kind of edge e is. If e is a link, contract it in G. A circle C in the contraction G/e is balanced if either C or C ∪ e {displaystyle Ccup e} is a balanced circle of G. If e is a balanced loop or a loose edge, it is simply deleted. If it is an unbalanced loop or a half-edge, it and its vertex v are deleted; each other edge with v as an endpoint loses that endpoint, so a link with v as one endpoint becomes a half-edge at its other endpoint, while a loop or half-edge at v becomes a loose edge.