Wiener index versus maximum degree in trees (Q1613418)

The Wiener index of a graph is the sum of distances between all pairs of vertices. This graph parameter has received a lot of attention because of its appearance in mathematical chemistry. It is used as a quantitative descriptor of the ``degree of branching''. In this paper, two extremal problems on the Wiener index are solved. The trees which minimize the Wiener index among all graphs of given order and maximum degree are characterized. The second result is a precise description of trees with maximum Wiener index among all trees of given order that have only vertices of two different degrees.