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CorollaryStatement: Literature-sourcedProof: AI-adaptedSession-authored (Fable 5 assisted)precheck passaudited 2026-08-11
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Every simple planar graph with n3n\ge3 vertices has at most 3n63n-6 edges, with equality for every plane triangulation

Statement

Every simple planar graph with n3n\ge3 vertices and mm edges satisfies m3n6m\le3n-6. Every plane triangulation with at least three vertices has equality. Indeed, Every plane triangulation with at least three vertices is connected supplies the connectedness needed for Euler's formula. By A two-connected plane graph of order at least three is maximal exactly when every face is triangular, this includes every two-connected maximal plane graph of that order. Connected components are those of The connected components of a graph partition its vertex set and are its maximal connected subgraphs.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: A simple planar graph with a fixed plane embedding, n3n\ge3 vertices and mm edges.

[L1]

For every connected plane graph, VE+F=2|V|-|E|+|F|=2 (Euler's formula VE+F=2|V|-|E|+|F|=2 for every connected plane graph).

[L2]

For a connected plane graph, writing (f)\ell(f) for the length of the facial boundary walk of ff, fF(f)=2E\sum_{f\in F}\ell(f)=2|E|; consequently, if every facial boundary walk has length at least a positive natural gg, then gF2Eg|F|\le2|E| (Facial boundary walks of a connected plane graph sum to 2E2|E|, and if every such walk has length at least gg then gF2Eg|F|\le2|E|).

[L3]

Every plane triangulation with at least three vertices is connected (Every plane triangulation with at least three vertices is connected).

Proof

technique · direct
1.1

First suppose the graph is connected. If it is a tree then m=n13n6m=n-1\le3n-6. Otherwise simplicity makes every facial boundary walk have length at least three, so [L2] gives 3F2m3|F|\le2m. Combining this with [L1], F=2n+m|F|=2-n+m, yields 3(2n+m)2m3(2-n+m)\le2m, hence m3n6m\le3n-6.

L1L2algebra
1.2

[L2] supplies more than its inequality: for a connected plane graph it gives the exact facial total fF(f)=2m\sum_{f\in F}\ell(f)=2m, from which that inequality is only the consequence drawn there.

L2
2.1

If the graph is disconnected, first redraw it. Each component drawing is a finite union of segments and so is bounded, so translating and scaling the components into pairwise disjoint discs gives a plane drawing of the same abstract graph in which every component meets the unbounded face; the bound to be proved does not depend on the drawing. Now join the components by noncrossing edges through that face until the drawing is connected. This preserves simplicity and planarity, keeps nn fixed, and only increases the number of edges. Step 1.1 applied to the augmented graph therefore bounds the original mm by 3n63n-6.

step 1.1construct
3.1

Let the graph be a plane triangulation with n3n\ge3 vertices. By [L3] it is connected, and every face has boundary a triangle, so (f)=3\ell(f)=3 for every face. Then step 1.2 reads 3F=2m3|F|=2m, and [L1] gives F=2n+m|F|=2-n+m, so 3(2n+m)=2m3(2-n+m)=2m and m=3n6m=3n-6.

step 1.2L1L3algebra

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Sources