A Note on Polynomial Algorithm for Cost Coloring of Bipartite Graphs with Δ ≤ 4

Abstract

In the note we consider vertex coloring of a graph in which each color has an associated cost which is incurred each time the color is assigned to a vertex. The cost of coloring is the sum of costs incurred at each vertex. We show that the minimum cost coloring problem for n-vertex bipartite graph of degree Δ ≤ 4 can be solved in O(n2) time. This extends Jansen’s result [K. Jansen, The optimum cost chromatic partition problem, in: Proc. CIAC’97, Lecture Notes in Comput. Sci. 1203 (1997) 25–36] for paths and cycles to subgraphs of biquartic graphs.

Keywords

• bipartite graph
• chromatic sum
• cost coloring
• np-completeness
• polynomial algorithm
• 05c15