Extremal values of ratios: distance problems vs. subtree problems in trees (Q1953459)

Summary: The authors discovered a dual behaviour of two tree indices, the Wiener index and the number of subtrees, for a number of extremal problems [Discrete Appl. Math. 155, No. 3, 374--385 (2007; Zbl 1113.05025); Adv. Appl. Math. 34, No. 1, 138--155 (2005; Zbl 1153.05019)]. \textit{C. A. Barefoot} et al. [Discrete Appl. Math. 80, No. 1, 37--56 (1997; Zbl 0886.05059)] determined extremal values of \(\sigma_T(w)/\sigma_T(u)\), \(\sigma_T(w)/\sigma_T(v)\), \(\sigma(T)/\sigma_T(v)\), and \(\sigma(T)/\sigma_T(w)\), where \(T\) is a tree on \(n\) vertices, \(v\) is in the centroid of the tree \(T\), and \(u,w\) are leaves in \(T\). In this paper we test how far the negative correlation between distances and subtrees go if we look for the extremal values of \(F_T(w)/F_T(u)\), \(F_T(w)/F_T(v)\), \(F(T)/F_T(v)\), and \(F(T)/F_T(w)\), where \(T\) is a tree on \(n\) vertices, \(v\) is in the subtree core of the tree \(T\), and \(u,w\) are leaves in \(T\)-the complete analogue of \textit{C. A. Barefoot} et al. [loc. cit.], changing distances to the number of subtrees. We include a number of open problems, shifting the interest towards the number of subtrees in graphs.