Connected cutsets of a graph and triangle bases of the cycle space (Q1086578)

The authors define two cycles C and C' of a graph G to be homotopic if \(C=C'+\sum^{k}_{i=1}T_ i\) where \(T_ i\) are triangles, and the graph itself to be null-homotopic if every cycle of G is homotopic to the zero cycle. In seeking characterizations of null-homotopic graphs the authors define a minimal relative cutset of a graph G (m.r. cutset) as a cutset C for which there exist two vertices x and y such that C is inclusion minimal with the property of separating x and y. A graph G is said to be well-connected if every m.r. cutset of G is connected. Well-connected graphs are characterized in two ways and using these characterizations, it is proved that a connected null-homotopic graph is well-connected. Noting that the converse is not true in general, the following theorem (and an extension to graphs not contractable to \(K_ 5)\) is proved using the concepts and results of \textit{K. Wagner} [Math. Ann. 141, 433-451 (1960; Zbl 0096.179)]. Theorem: For a connected planar graph G, the following are equivalent. (i) G is null-homotopic, (ii) G is well-connected, (iii) G admits a simplicial 3-decomposition into disc triangulations. \{A paper [8] is referred to in the text, but the reference is not given.\}