A generalization of a theorem of Dirac (Q1850552)

Let \(G\) be a \(k\)-connected graph where \(k\geq 2\). Let \(S\) be a set of vertex-disjoint paths of total length \(s\) and \(T\) be a set of \(t\) cocircuits, where \(s+ t= k\) and \(t\geq 1\). We prove that there is a circuit of \(G\) containing each path of \(S\) and meeting each cocircuit of \(T\). This generalizes a well-known result of Dirac that given any \(k\) vertices in a \(k\)-connected graph where \(k\geq 2\), there is a circuit containing all of them. It also generalizes a result of Häggkvist and Thomassen and partially answers an open matroid question of Oxley.