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Here we introduce a new game on graphs, called cup stacking, following a line of what can be considered as $0$-, $1$-, or $2$-person games such as chip firing, percolation, graph burning, zero forcing, cops and robbers, graph pebbling, and graph pegging, among others. It can be more general, but the most basic scenario begins with a single cup on each vertex of a graph. (This simplification coincides with an earlier game devised by Gordon Hamilton.) For a vertex with $k$ cups on it we can move all its cups to a vertex at distance $k$ from it, provided the second vertex already has at least one cup on it. The object is to stack all cups onto some pre-described target vertex. We say that a graph is stackable if this can be accomplished for all possible target vertices. In this paper we study cup stacking on many families of graphs, developing a characterization of stackability in graphs and using it to prove the stackability of complete graphs, paths, cycles, grids, the Petersen graph, many Kneser graphs, some trees, cubes of dimension up to 20, "somewhat balanced" complete $t$-partite graphs, and Hamiltonian diameter two graphs. Additionally we use the Gallai-Edmonds Structure Theorem, the Edmonds Blossom Algorithm, and the Hungarian algorithm to devise a polynomial algorithm to decide if a diameter two graph is stackable. Our proof that cubes up to dimension 20 are stackable uses Kleitman's Symmetric Chain Decomposition and the new result of Merino, M\"utze, and Namrata that all generalized Johnson graphs (excluding the Petersen graph) are Hamiltonian. We conjecture that all cubes and higher-dimensional grids are stackable, and leave the reader with several open problems, questions, and generalizations., Comment: Revision including original sources

For an additive group $\Gamma$ the sequence $S = (g_1, \ldots, g_t)$ of elements of $\Gamma$ is a zero-sum sequence if $g_1 + \cdots + g_t = 0_\Gamma$. The cross number of $S$ is defined to be the sum $\sum_{i=1}^k 1/|g_i|$, where $|g_i|$ denotes the order of $g_i$ in $\Gamma$. Call $S$ good if it contains a zero-sum subsequence with cross number at most 1. In 1993, Geroldinger proved that if $\Gamma$ is abelian then every length $|\Gamma|$ sequence of its elements is good, generalizing a 1989 result of Lemke and Kleitman that had proved an earlier conjecture of Erd\H{o}s and Lemke. In 1989 Chung re-proved the Lemke and Kleitman result by applying a theorem of graph pebbling, and in 2005, Elledge and Hurlbert used graph pebbling to re-prove and generalize Geroldinger's result. Here we use probabilistic theorems from graph pebbling to derive a threshold version of Geroldinger's theorem for abelian groups of a certain form. Specifically, we prove that if $p_1, \ldots, p_d$ are (not necessarily distinct) primes and $\Gamma_k$ has the form $\prod_{i=1}^d {\mathbb Z}_{p_i^k}$ then there is a function $\tau=\tau(k)$ (which we specify in Theorem 4) with the following property: if $t-\tau\rightarrow\infty$ as $k\rightarrow\infty$ then the probability that $S$ is good in $\Gamma_k$ tends to 1., Comment: Theorems corrected and proofs added

Graph pebbling is a game played on graphs with pebbles on their vertices. A pebbling move removes two pebbles from one vertex and places one pebble on an adjacent vertex. The pebbling number $\pi(G)$ is the smallest $t$ so that from any initial configuration of $t$ pebbles it is possible, after a sequence of pebbling moves, to place a pebble on any given target vertex. In this paper, we provide the first results on the pebbling numbers of snarks. Until now, only the Petersen graph had its pebbling number correctly established, although attempts had been made for the Flower and Watkins snarks., Comment: Expanded version of prior "On the pebbling numbers of some snarks" submission

Here we merge the two fields of Cops and Robbers and Graph Pebbling to introduce the new topic of Cops and Robbers Pebbling. Both paradigms can be described by moving tokens (the cops) along the edges of a graph to capture a special token (the robber). In Cops and Robbers, all tokens move freely, whereas, in Graph Pebbling, some of the chasing tokens disappear with movement while the robber is stationary. In Cops and Robbers Pebbling, some of the chasing tokens (cops) disappear with movement, while the robber moves freely. We define the cop pebbling number of a graph to be the minimum number of cops necessary to capture the robber in this context, and present upper and lower bounds and exact values, some involving various domination parameters, for an array of graph classes, including paths, cycles, trees, chordal graphs, high girth graphs, and cop-win graphs, as well as graph products. Furthermore we show that the analogous inequality for Graham's Pebbling Conjecture fails for cop pebbling and posit a conjecture along the lines of Meyniel's Cops and Robbers Conjecture that may hold for cop pebbling. We also offer several new problems.

A new graph invariant called the secure vertex cover pebbling number, which is a combination of two graph invariants, namely secure vertex cover and cover pebbling number, is introduced in this paper. The secure vertex cover pebbling number of a graph G is the minimum number m so that every distribution of m pebbles can reach some secure vertex cover of G by a sequence of pebbling moves. In this paper, the complexity of the secure vertex cover problem and secure vertex cover pebbling problem are discussed. Also, we obtain some basic results and the secure vertex cover pebbling number for complete r- partite graphs, paths, Friendship graphs, and wheel graphs., Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures

Given a graph $G$, let $\mu(G)$ denote the size of the smallest maximal independent set in $G$. A family of subsets is called a star if some element is in every set of the family. A split vertex has degree at least 3. Holroyd and Talbot conjectured the following Erd\H{o}s-Ko-Rado type statement about intersecting families of independent sets in graphs: if $1\le r\le \mu(G)/2$ then there is an intersecting family of independent $r$-sets of maximum size that is a star. In this paper we prove similar statements for sparse graphs on $n$ vertices: roughly, for graphs of bounded average degree with $r\le O(n^{1/3})$, for graphs of bounded degree with $r\le O(n^{1/2})$, and for trees having a bounded number of split vertices with $r\le O(n^{1/2})$., Comment: Correction of typos and inclusion of additional history

The $t$-fold pebbling number, $\pi_t(G)$, of a graph $G$ is defined to be the minimum number $m$ so that, from any given configuration of $m$ pebbles on the vertices of $G$, it is possible to place at least $t$ pebbles on any specified vertex via pebbling moves. It has been conjectured that the pebbling numbers of pyramid-free chordal graphs can be calculated in polynomial time. The $k^{\rm th}$ power $G^{(k)}$ of the graph $G$ is obtained from $G$ by adding an edge between any two vertices of distance at most $k$ from each other. The $k^{\rm th}$ power of the path $P_n$ on $n$ is an important class of pyramid-free chordal graphs. Pachter, Snevily, and Voxman (1995), Kim (2004), and Kim and Kim (2010) calculated $\pi(P_n^{(k)})$ for $2\le k\le 4$, respectively. In this paper we calculate $\pi_t(P_n^{(k)})$ for all $n$, $k$, and $t$. For a function $D:V(G)\rightarrow{\mathbb N}$, the $D$-pebbling number, $\pi(G,D)$, of a graph $G$ is defined to be the minimum number $m$ so that, from any given configuration of $m$ pebbles on the vertices of $G$, it is possible to place at least $D(v)$ pebbles on each vertex $v$ via pebbling moves. We make the conjecture that every $G$ and $D$ satisfies $\pi(G,D)\le \pi_{|D|}(G)-(s(D)-1)$, where $s(D)$ counts the number of vertices $v$ with $D(v)>0$. We prove this for trees and $P_n^{(k)}$, for all $n$ and $k$. The pebbling exponent $e_\pi(G)$ of a graph $G$ was defined by Pachter, et al., to be the minimum $k$ for which $\pi(G^{(k)})=n(G^{(k)})$. Of course, $e_\pi(G)\le {\rm diameter}(G)$, and Czygrinow, Hurlbert, Kierstead, and Trotter (2002) proved that almost all graphs $G$ have $e_\pi(G)=1$. Lourdusamy and Mathivanan (2015) proved several results on $\pi_t(C_n^2)$, and Hurlbert (2017) proved an asymptotically tight formula for $e_\pi(C_n)$. Our formula for $\pi_t(P_n^{(k)})$ allows us us to compute $e_\pi(P_n)$ asymptotically tightly.

Graph pebbling is a network optimization model for satisfying vertex demands with vertex supplies (called pebbles), with partial loss of pebbles in transit. The pebbling number of a demand in a graph is the smallest number for which every placement of that many supply pebbles satisfies the demand. The Target Conjecture (Herscovici-Hester-Hurlbert, 2009) posits that the largest pebbling number of a demand of fixed size $t$ occurs when the demand is entirely stacked on one vertex. This truth of this conjecture could be useful for attacking many open problems in graph pebbling, including the famous conjecture of Graham (1989) involving graph products. It has been verified for complete graphs, cycles, cubes, and trees. In this paper we prove the conjecture for 2-paths and Kneser graphs over pairs., Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures. Replaces "The Target Pebbling Conjecture" (2011.10623.v2), with improved exposition

A family of sets is intersecting if any two sets in the family intersect. Given a graph $G$ and an integer $r\geq 1$, let $\mathcal{I}^{(r)}(G)$ denote the family of independent sets of size $r$ of $G$. For a vertex $v$ of $G$, the family of independent sets of size $r$ that contain $v$ is called an $r$-star. Then $G$ is said to be $r$-EKR if no intersecting subfamily of $ \mathcal{I}^{(r)}(G)$ is bigger than the largest $r$-star. Let $n$ be a positive integer, and let $G$ consist of the disjoint union of $n$ paths each of length 2. We prove that if $1 \leq r \leq n/2$, then $G$ is $r$-EKR. This affirms a longstanding conjecture of Holroyd and Talbot for this class of graphs and can be seen as an analogue of a well-known theorem on signed sets, proved using different methods, by Deza and Frankl and by Bollob\'as and Leader. Our main approach is a novel probabilistic extension of Katona's elegant cycle method, which might be of independent interest., Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure. To appear in Discrete Mathematics

Let ${\mathscr L}=(X,\preceq)$ be a lattice. For ${\cal P}\subseteq X$ we say that ${\cal P}$ is $t$-{\it intersecting} if ${\sf rank}(x\wedge y)\ge t$ for all $x,y\in{\cal P}$. The seminal theorem of Erd\H{o}s, Ko and Rado describes the maximum intersecting ${\cal P}$ in the lattice of subsets of a finite set with the additional condition that ${\cal P}$ is contained within a level of the lattice. The Erd\H{o}s-Ko-Rado theorem has been extensively studied and generalized to other objects and lattices. In this paper, we focus on intersecting families of permutations as defined with respect to the weak Bruhat lattice. In this setting, we prove analogs of certain extremal results on intersecting set systems. In particular we give a characterization of the maximum intersecting families of permutations in the Bruhat lattice. We also characterize the maximum intersecting families of permutations within the $r^{\textrm{th}}$ level of the Bruhat lattice of permutations of size $n$, provided that $n$ is large relative to $r$.

Graph pebbling models the transportation of consumable resources. As two pebbles move across an edge, one reaches its destination while the other is consumed. The $t$-pebbling number is the smallest integer $m$ so that any initially distributed supply of $m$ pebbles can place $t$ pebbles on any target vertex via pebbling moves. The 1-pebbling number of diameter two graphs is well-studied. Here we investigate the $t$-pebbling number of diameter two graphs under the lense of connectivity., Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure

Consider a distribution of pebbles on a connected graph $G$. A pebbling move removes two pebbles from a vertex and places one to an adjacent vertex. A vertex is reachable under a pebbling distribution if it has a pebble after the application of a sequence of pebbling moves. The optimal pebbling number $\pi^*(G)$ is the smallest number of pebbles which we can distribute in such a way that each vertex is reachable. It was known that the optimal pebbling number of any connected graph is at most $\frac{4n}{\delta+1}$, where $\delta$ is the minimum degree of the graph. We strengthen this bound by showing that equality cannot be attained and that the bound is sharp. If $\operatorname{diam}(G)\geq 3$ then we further improve the bound to $\pi^*(G)\leq\frac{3.75n}{\delta+1}$. On the other hand, we show that for arbitrary large diameter and any $\epsilon>0$ there are infinitely many graphs whose optimal pebbling number is bigger than $\left(\frac{8}{3}-\epsilon\right)\frac{n}{(\delta+1)}$.

Pebbling on graphs is a two-player game which involves repeatedly moving a pebble from one vertex to another by removing another pebble from the first vertex. The pebbling number $\pi(G)$ is the least number of pebbles required so that, regardless of the initial configuration of pebbles, a pebble can reach any vertex. Graham conjectured that the pebbling number for the cartesian product, $G \hspace{1mm}\square\hspace{1mm} H$, is bounded above by $\pi(G) \pi(H)$. We show that $\pi(G\hspace{1mm}\square\hspace{1mm} H) \le 2\pi(G) \pi(H)$ and, more sharply, that $\pi(G \hspace{1mm}\square\hspace{1mm} H) \le (\pi(G)+|G|) \pi(H)$. Furthermore, we provide similar results for other graph products and graph operations., Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures

A starting point in the investigation of intersecting systems of subsets of a finite set is the elementary observation that the size of a family of pairwise intersecting subsets of a finite set [n]={1,...,n}, denoted by 2^{[n]}, is at most 2^{n-1}, with one of the extremal structures being the family comprised of all subsets of [n] containing a fixed element, called as a star. A longstanding conjecture of Chv\'atal aims to generalize this simple observation for all downsets of 2^{[n]}. In this note, we prove this conjecture for all downsets where every subset contains at most 3 elements., Comment: 10 pages, 0 figures

A family of sets is intersecting if every pair of its sets intersect. A star is a family with some element (a center) in each of its sets. The classical 1961 result of Erd\H{o}s, Ko, and Rado states that every intersecting family of r-sets with $r\leq n/2$ has size at most that of a star. We say that graph G is r-EKR if, among all intersecting families of independent r-sets of G, the largest is attained by a star. In 2005 Holroyd and Talbot conjectured that every graph G is r-EKR for all $1\leq r\leq \mu(G)/2$, where $\mu(G)$ is the size of the smallest maximal independent set in G. We verified the conjecture in 2011 for all chordal graphs containing an isolated vertex. For graphs without isolated vertices it is difficult to determine the center of the largest star, which is often necessary to prove that they are EKR. A tree has the leaf property if its largest star occurs on one of its leaves. We proved that every tree T has the leaf property when $r\leq 4$, and in 2017 Borg and other authors gave examples of families of trees not having the leaf property when $r\geq 5$. A split vertex in a tree is a vertex of degree at least 3. A spider is a tree with exactly one split vertex. Here we prove that all spiders have the leaf property for all $r\leq \alpha(G)$, where $\alpha(G)$ is the independence number of $G$, and we characterize which of its leaves are maximum star centers. A pendant tree is one for which each of its split vertices is adjacent to a leaf. Here we show that all pendant trees have the leaf property for all $r\leq \alpha(G)$. We also consider pendant trees with exactly two split vertices and provide partial results on the locations of their maximum star centers., Comment: 10 pages. Contains new results and rewriting

A set system F is intersecting if any pair of sets in F have a nonempty intersection. A fundamental theorem of Erd\H{o}s, Ko and Rado states that if F is an intersecting family of r-subsets of [n]={1,...,n}, and n>= 2r, then the cardinality of F is at most the cardinality of the family of all r-subsets of [n] containing a fixed element. Furthermore, when n>2r, equality holds if and only if F is the family of all r-subsets of [n] containing a fixed element. This characterization was proved as part of a stronger result by Hilton and Milner. In this note, we provide new injective proofs of the Erd\H{o}s--Ko--Rado and the Hilton--Milner theorems., Comment: 9 pages. Section 4 is a new addition, containing a new proof of the Hilton--Milner theorem. The presentation of the proof of the EKR theorem in Section 3 is also slightly changed. Additional relevant references have been added

Graph pebbling is a network model for transporting discrete resources that are consumed in transit. Deciding whether a given configuration on a particular graph can reach a specified target is ${\sf NP}$-complete, even for diameter two graphs, and deciding whether the pebbling number has a prescribed upper bound is $\Pi_2^{\sf P}$-complete. Recently we proved that the pebbling number of a split graph can be computed in polynomial time. This paper advances the program of finding other polynomial classes, moving away from the large tree width, small diameter case (such as split graphs) to small tree width, large diameter, continuing an investigation on the important subfamily of chordal graphs called $k$-trees. In particular, we provide a formula, that can be calculated in polynomial time, for the pebbling number of any semi-2-tree, falling shy of the result for the full class of 2-trees., Comment: Revised numerous arguments for clarity and added technical lemmas to support proof of main theorem better

A Gray code is a listing structure for a set of combinatorial objects such that some consistent (usually minimal) change property is maintained throughout adjacent elements in the list. While Gray codes for m-ary strings have been considered in the past, we provide a new, simple Gray code for fixed-weight m-ary strings. In addition, we consider a relatively new type of Gray code known as overlap cycles and prove basic existence results concerning overlap cycles for fixed-weight and weight-range m-ary words., Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures

The goal of this paper is to solve Problem 481 from the list of research problems in the special issue of Discrete Mathematics dedicated to the Banff International Research Station workshop on "Generalizations of de Bruijn Cycles and Gray Codes" in 2004. Overlap cycles are generalizations of de Bruijn cycles and Gray codes that were introduced originally in 2010 by Godbole et al. In this paper we prove that s-overlap cycles for k-permutations of [n] exist for all k

Graph pebbling is a network optimization model for transporting discrete resources that are consumed in transit: the movement of two pebbles across an edge consumes one of the pebbles. The pebbling number of a graph is the fewest number of pebbles t so that, from any initial configuration of t pebbles on its vertices, one can place a pebble on any given target vertex via such pebbling steps. It is known that deciding if a given configuration on a particular graph can reach a specified target is NP-complete, even for diameter two graphs, and that deciding if the pebbling number has a prescribed upper bound is \Pi_2^P-complete. On the other hand, for many families of graphs there are formulas or polynomial algorithms for computing pebbling numbers; for example, complete graphs, products of paths (including cubes), trees, cycles, diameter two graphs, and more. Moreover, graphs having minimum pebbling number are called Class 0, and many authors have studied which graphs are Class 0 and what graph properties guarantee it, with no characterization in sight. In this paper we investigate an important family of diameter three chordal graphs called split graphs; graphs whose vertex set can be partitioned into a clique and an independent set. We provide a formula for the pebbling number of a split graph, along with an algorithm for calculating it that runs in O(n^\beta) time, where \beta=2\omega/(\omega+1)\cong 1.41 and \omega\cong 2.376 is the exponent of matrix multiplication. Furthermore we determine that all split graphs with minimum degree at least 3 are Class 0., Comment: 33 pages, 3 figures

Steiner quadruple systems are set systems in which every triple is contained in a unique quadruple. It is will known that Steiner quadruple systems of order v, or SQS(v), exist if and only if v = 2, 4 mod 6. Universal cycles, introduced by Chung, Diaconis, and Graham in 1992, are a type of cyclic Gray code. Overlap cycles are generalizations of universal cycles that were introduced in 2010 by Godbole. Using Hanani's SQS constructions, we show that for every v = 2, 4 mod 6 with v > 4 there exists an SQS(v) that admits a 1-overlap cycle., Comment: 24 pages

A number of applications of Steiner triple systems (e.g. disk erasure codes) exist that require a special ordering of its blocks. Universal cycles, introduced by Chung, Diaconis, and Graham in 1992, and Gray codes are examples of listing elements of a combinatorial family in a specific manner, and Godbole invented the following generalization of these in 2010. 1-overlap cycles require a set of strings to be ordered so that the last letter of one string is the first letter of the next. In this paper, we prove the existence of 1-overlap cycles for automorphism free Steiner triple systems of each possible order. Since Steiner triple systems have the property that each block can be represented uniquely by a pair of points, these 1-overlap cycles can be compressed by omitting non-overlap points to produce rank two universal cycles on such designs, expanding on the results of Dewar., Comment: 17 pages

Universal cycles are generalizations of de Bruijn cycles and Gray codes that were introduced originally by Chung, Diaconis, and Graham in 1990. They have been developed by many authors since, for various combinatorial objects such as strings, subsets, permutations, partitions, vector spaces, and designs. One generalization of universal cycles, which require almost complete overlap of consecutive words, is s-overlap cycles, which relax such a constraint. In this paper we study weak orders, which are relations that are transitive and complete. We prove the existence of universal and s-overlap cycles for weak orders, as well as for fixed height and/or weight weak orders, and apply the results to cycles for ordered partitions as well., Comment: 12 pages; final version

Graph pebbling is a network model for studying whether or not a given supply of discrete pebbles can satisfy a given demand via pebbling moves. A pebbling move across an edge of a graph takes two pebbles from one endpoint and places one pebble at the other endpoint; the other pebble is lost in transit as a toll. It has been shown that deciding whether a supply can meet a demand on a graph is NP-complete. The pebbling number of a graph is the smallest t such that every supply of t pebbles can satisfy every demand of one pebble. Deciding if the pebbling number is at most k is \Pi_2^P-complete. In this paper we develop a tool, called the Weight Function Lemma, for computing upper bounds and sometimes exact values for pebbling numbers with the assistance of linear optimization. With this tool we are able to calculate the pebbling numbers of much larger graphs than in previous algorithms, and much more quickly as well. We also obtain results for many families of graphs, in many cases by hand, with much simpler and remarkably shorter proofs than given in previously existing arguments (certificates typically of size at most the number of vertices times the maximum degree), especially for highly symmetric graphs. Here we apply the Weight Function Lemma to several specific graphs, including the Petersen, Lemke, 4th weak Bruhat, Lemke squared, and two random graphs, as well as to a number of infinite families of graphs, such as trees, cycles, graph powers of cycles, cubes, and some generalized Petersen and Coxeter graphs. This partly answers a question of Pachter, et al., by computing the pebbling exponent of cycles to within an asymptotically small range. It is conceivable that this method yields an approximation algorithm for graph pebbling.

We prove a generalization of Graham's Conjecture for optimal pebbling with arbitrary sets of target distributions. We provide bounds on optimal pebbling numbers of products of complete graphs and explicitly find optimal $t$-pebbling numbers for specific such products. We obtain bounds on optimal pebbling numbers of powers of the cycle $C_5$. Finally, we present explicit distributions which provide asymptotic bounds on optimal pebbling numbers of hypercubes., Comment: 28 pages, 1 figure

Graph pebbling is the study of moving discrete pebbles from certain initial distributions on the vertices of a graph to various target distributions via pebbling moves. A pebbling move removes two pebbles from a vertex and places one pebble on one of its neighbors (losing the other as a toll). For t >= 1 the t-pebbling number of a graph is the minimum number of pebbles necessary so that from any initial distribution of them it is possible to move t pebbles to any vertex. We provide the best possible upper bound on the t-pebbling number of a diameter two graph, proving a conjecture of Curtis, et al., in the process. We also give a linear time (in the number of edges) algorithm to t-pebble such graphs, as well as a quartic time (in the number of vertices) algorithm to compute the pebbling number of such graphs, improving the best known result of Bekmetjev and Cusack. Furthermore, we show that, for complete graphs, cycles, trees, and cubes, we can allow the target to be any distribution of t pebbles without increasing the corresponding t-pebbling numbers; we conjecture that this behavior holds for all graphs. Finally, we explore fractional and optimal fractional versions of pebbling, proving the fractional pebbling number conjecture of Hurlbert and using linear optimization to reveal results on the optimal fractional pebbling number of vertex-transitive graphs., Comment: 29 pages

We investigate generalizations of pebbling numbers and of Graham's pebbling conjecture that pi(GxH) <= pi(G)pi(H), where pi(G) is the pebbling number of the graph G. We develop new machinery to attack the conjecture, which is now twenty years old. We show that certain conjectures imply others that initially appear stronger. We also find counterexamples that show that Sjostrand's theorem on cover pebbling does not apply if we allow the cost of transferring a pebble from one vertex to an adjacent vertex to depend on the edge, and we describe an alternate pebbling number for which Graham's conjecture is demonstrably false., Comment: 18 pages

One of the more recent generalizations of the Erd\"os-Ko-Rado theorem, formulated by Holroyd, Spencer and Talbot, defines the Erd\"os-Ko-Rado property for graphs in the following manner: for a graph G and a positive integer r, G is said to be r-EKR if no intersecting subfamily of the family of all independent vertex sets of size r is larger than the largest star, where a star centered at a vertex v is the family of all independent sets of size $r$ containing v. In this paper, we prove that if G is a disjoint union of chordal graphs, including at least one singleton, then G is r-EKR if $r\leq mu(G)/2$, where mu(G) is the minimum size of a maximal independent set. We will also prove Erd\"os-Ko-Rado results for chains of complete graphs, which are a class of chordal graphs obtained by blowing up edges of a path into complete graphs. We also consider similar problems for ladder graphs and trees, and prove preliminary results for these graphs., Comment: 30 pages, 5 figures. This is the second version. Conjecture 4.1 from the previous version has been disproved, and the relevant section has been accordingly modified

Let S be a cyclic n-ary sequence. We say that S is a {\it universal cycle} ((n,k)-Ucycle) for k-subsets of [n] if every such subset appears exactly once contiguously in S, and is a Ucycle packing if every such subset appears at most once. Few examples of Ucycles are known to exist, so the relaxation to packings merits investigation. A family {S_n} of (n,k)-Ucycle packings for fixed k is a near-Ucycle if the length of S_n is $(1-o(1))\binom{n}{k}$. In this paper we prove that near-(n,k)-Ucycles exist for all k., Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures

A Universal Cycle for t-multisets of [n]={1,...,n} is a cyclic sequence of $\binom{n+t-1}{t}$ integers from [n] with the property that each t-multiset of [n] appears exactly once consecutively in the sequence. For such a sequence to exist it is necessary that n divides $\binom{n+t-1}{t}$, and it is reasonable to conjecture that this condition is sufficient for large enough n in terms of t. We prove the conjecture completely for t in {2,3} and partially for t in {4,6}. These results also support a positive answer to a question of Knuth., Comment: 14 pages, two figures, will appear in Discrete Mathematics' special issue on de Bruijn Cycles, Gray Codes and their generalizations; paper revised according to journal referees' suggestions

Suppose 2n voters vote sequentially for one of two candidates. For how many such sequences does one candidate have strictly more votes than the other at each stage of the voting? The answer is \binom{2n}{n} and, while easy enough to prove using generating functions, for example, only two combinatorial proofs exist, due to Kleitman and Gessel. In this paper we present two new (far simpler) bijective proofs.

The subject of graph pebbling has seen dramatic growth recently, both in the number of publications and in the breadth of variations and applications. Here we update the reader on the many developments that have occurred since the original Survey of Graph Pebbling in 1999., Comment: 24 pages, 1 figure

A sequence of elements of a finite group G is called a zero-sum sequence if it sums to the identity of G. The study of zero-sum sequences has a long history with many important applications in number theory and group theory. In 1989 Kleitman and Lemke, and independently Chung, proved a strengthening of a number theoretic conjecture of Erdos and Lemke. Kleitman and Lemke then made more general conjectures for finite groups, strengthening the requirements of zero-sum sequences. In this paper we prove their conjecture in the case of abelian groups. Namely, we use graph pebbling to prove that for every sequence (g_k)_{k=1}^{|G|} of |G| elements of a finite abelian group G there is a nonempty subsequence (g_k)_{k in K} such that sum_{k in K}g_k=0_G and sum_{k in K}1/|g_k|\le 1, where |g| is the order of the element g in G., Comment: 18 pages

Given a graph G and a configuration C of pebbles on the vertices of G, a pebbling step removes two pebbles from one vertex and places one pebble on an adjacent vertex. The cover pebbling number g=g(G) is the minimum number so that every configuration of g pebbles has the property that, after some sequence of pebbling steps, every vertex has a pebble on it. We prove that the cover pebbling number of the d-dimensional hypercube Q^d equals 3^d., Comment: 11 pages

A pebbling move on a graph consists of taking two pebbles off of one vertex and placing one pebble on an adjacent vertex. In the traditional pebbling problem we try to reach a specified vertex of the graph by a sequence of pebbling moves. In this paper we investigate the case when every vertex of the graph must end up with at least one pebble after a series of pebbling moves. The cover pebbling number of a graph is the minimum number of pebbles such that however the pebbles are initially placed on the vertices of the graph we can eventually put a pebble on every vertex simultaneously. We find the cover pebbling numbers of trees and some other graphs. We also consider the more general problem where (possibly different) given numbers of pebbles are required for the vertices., Comment: 12 pages. Submitted to Discrete Mathematics

In this note we answer a question of Hurlbert about pebbling in graphs of high girth. Specifically we show that for every g there is a Class 0 graph of girth at least g. The proof uses the so-called Erdos construction and employs a recent result proved by Czygrinow, Hurlbert, Kierstead and Trotter. We also use the Czygrinow et al. result to prove that Graham's pebbling product conjecture holds for dense graphs. Finally, we consider a generalization of Graham's conjecture to thresholds of graph sequences and find reasonably tight bounds on the pebbling threshold of the sequence of d-dimensional grids, verifying an important instance the generalization., Comment: 17 pages. Submitted to SIAM Journal on Discrete Mathematics

Given an initial configuration of pebbles on a graph, one can move pebbles in pairs along edges, at the cost of one of the pebbles moved, with the objective of reaching a specified target vertex. The pebbling number of a graph is the minimum number of pebbles so that every configuration of that many pebbles can reach any chosen target. The pebbling threshold of a sequence of graphs is roughly the number of pebbles so that almost every (resp. almost no) configuration of asymptotically more (resp. fewer) pebbles can reach any chosen target. In this paper we find the pebbling threshold of the sequence of squares of cliques, improving upon an earlier result of Boyle and verifying an important instance of a probabilistic version of Graham's product conjecture., Comment: 22 pages. Submitted to Discrete Mathematics

A configuration of pebbles on the vertices of a graph is solvable if one can place a pebble on any given root vertex via a sequence of pebbling steps. The pebbling number of a graph G is the minimum number pi(G) so that every configuration of pi(G) pebbles is solvable. A graph is Class 0 if its pebbling number equals its number of vertices. A function is a pebbling threshold for a sequence of graphs if a randomly chosen configuration of asymptotically more pebbles is almost surely solvable, while one of asymptotically fewer pebbles is almost surely not. Here we prove that graphs on n>=9 vertices having minimum degree at least floor(n/2) are Class 0, as are bipartite graphs with m>=336 vertices in each part having minimum degree at least floor(m/2)+1. Both bounds are best possible. In addition, we prove that the pebbling threshold of graphs with minimum degree d, with sqrt{n} << d, is O(n^{3/2}/d), which is tight when d is proportional to n., Comment: 10 pages

A configuration of pebbles on the vertices of a graph is solvable if one can place a pebble on any given root vertex via a sequence of pebbling steps. A function is a pebbling threshold for a sequence of graphs if a randomly chosen configuration of asymptotically more pebbles is almost surely solvable, while one of asymptotically fewer pebbles is almost surely not. In this note we show that the spectrum of pebbling thresholds for graph sequences spans the entire range from n^{1/2} to n. This answers a question of Czygrinow, Eaton, Hurlbert and Kayll. What the spectrum looks like above n remains unknown., Comment: 8 pages, preliminary version

In this paper we prove two multiset analogs of classical results. We prove a multiset analog of Lovasz's version of the Kruskal-Katona Theorem and an analog of the Bollobas-Thomason threshold result. As a corollary we obtain the existence of pebbling thresholds for arbitrary graph sequences. In addition, we improve both the lower and upper bounds for the `random pebbling' threshold of the sequence of paths., Comment: 17 pages

We say that a graph G is Class 0 if its pebbling number is exactly equal to its number of vertices. For a positive integer d, let k(d) denote the least positive integer so that every graph G with diameter at most d and connectivity at least k(d) is Class 0. The existence of the function k was conjectured by Clarke, Hochberg and Hurlbert, who showed that if the function k exists, then it must satisfy k(d)=\Omega(2^d/d). In this note, we show that k exists and satisfies k(d)=O(2^{2d}). We also apply this result to improve the upper bound on the random graph threshold of the Class 0 property., Comment: 12 pages

We survey results on the pebbling numbers of graphs as well as their historical connection with a number-theoretic question of Erd\H os and Lemke. We also present new results on two probabilistic pebbling considerations, first the random graph threshold for the property that the pebbling number of a graph equals its number of vertices, and second the pebbling threshold function for various natural graph sequences. Finally, we relate the question of the existence of pebbling thresholds to a strengthening of the normal property of posets, and show that the multiset lattice is not supernormal., Comment: 24 pages