A Class of Solwtions to the Gossip Prudble Part I

We characterize optimal solutions to the gossip problem in which no one hears his own information. That is, we consider graphs on n vertices where the edges are given a linear ordering such that an increasing path exists from each vertex to every other, but there is no increasing path from a vertex to itself. Such graphs exist if and only if n is even, in which case the fervest number of edges is 2n -4, as in the original gossip problem (in which the “No Qne Hears his Qwn information” condition did not appear). We characterize optimal solutions of this sort, called NOHO-graphs, by a correspondence with quadruples consisting of two permutations and two binary sequences. The correspondence uses a canonical numbering of the vertices of the graph; it arises from the edge ordering. (Exception: there are two optimal solution graphs which do not meet this characterjation.) Also in Part I, we show constructiveiy that NOHO-graphs are Hamiltonian, bipartite, and planar. In Part II, we study other properties of the associated quadruples, which includes enumerating them. In Part III, we enumerate the non-isomorphic NOHO-graphs.