Exercise · ZW-HAMILTONIAN-CYCLE-001 · ★☆☆ Basic

How many distinct Hamiltonian cycles does \(K_5\) have, not counting the starting vertex or direction?

Choose one option.

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  • B. 12

Explanation

Fix the start and order the other 4 vertices: \(4!=24\). Each cycle appears twice (both directions), so there are \(24/2=12\).

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Review the concept: Hamiltonian cycle

A Hamiltonian cycle of a graph \(G\) with \(n\ge 3\) vertices is a cycle that visits every vertex of \(G\) exactly once.

\[\deg(v)\ge \tfrac n2\ \forall v\ \Longrightarrow\ \text{Hamiltonian cycle exists}\]

More practice problems: hamiltonian cycle

ZW-HAMILTONIAN-CYCLE-002 →