Barnette's conjecture

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Let GG be a finite undirected graph with the following four properties:

GG is planar: it can be embedded in the Euclidean plane with no two edges crossing. 2. GG is 33-vertex-connected: GG has at least 44 vertices and, for every set SS of at most two vertices, the graph G−SG - S obtained by deleting SS and all incident edges is connected. (A planar 33-connected graph is called polyhedral.) 3. GG is bipartite: its vertex set admits a partition into two classes such that every edge of GG has one endpoint in each class. 4. GG is cubic (33-regular): every vertex of GG is an endpoint of exactly three edges.

Then GG is Hamiltonian, i.e. GG contains a cycle passing through each of its vertices exactly once.

Equivalently, in the language of polytopes: if PP is a simple 33-dimensional convex polytope (every vertex of PP lies on exactly three edges) such that every face of PP has an even number of edges, then the graph formed by the vertices and edges of PP has a Hamiltonian cycle.

Equivalent formulations
  1. A finite simple graph is Hamiltonian if it has a Hamiltonian cycle, namely a cycle that visits every vertex exactly once. Barnette's conjecture. Every finite, simple, cubic, bipartite, planar and 33-connected graph is Hamiltonian. The conjecture combines two earlier conjectures of Tait and Tutte that were disproved, and remains an open problem in graph theory despite substantial progress for restricted classes of such graphs.

    source: Tobias Schnieders, “Barnette Graphs with Faces up to Size 8 are Hamiltonian”, arXiv:2508.03531 (2025).

References
  1. Wikipedia
  1. Wikipedia, Barnette's conjecture, the article this problem comes from.

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Solutions 1

Claimed by OpenAI. Claims every finite simple cubic bipartite planar 3-vertex-connected graph is Hamiltonian, as asserted by Barnette's conjecture.See full solutionHide full solution

Claimed by OpenAI.

Claims every finite simple cubic bipartite planar 3-vertex-connected graph is Hamiltonian, as asserted by Barnette's conjecture.

GitHub repository: https://github.com/openai/math

Manuscript: https://github.com/openai/math/blob/adc7f1241b42e322a6451854ab7e4b4c146bf78a/preprints/Paired-states-and-Hamiltonian-cycles-in-cubic-bipartite-planar-graphs-September-24-2026/paper.pdf

  • OpenAI-180-01-Paired-states-and-Hamiltonian-cycles-in-cubic-bipartite-planar-graphs.pdf333,997 bytesOpen