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 so is the third circle of the theta graph. 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.

Read more about Biased Graph:  Technical Notes, Examples, Minors, Matroids, Multiary Quasigroups

Famous quotes containing the words biased and/or graph:

    Scientists are human—they’re as biased as any other group. But they do have one great advantage in that science is a self-correcting process.
    Cyril Ponnamperuma (b. 1923)

    When producers want to know what the public wants, they graph it as curves. When they want to tell the public what to get, they say it in curves.
    Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980)