On the relation between Wiener index and eccentricity of a graph (Q2045025)

The Wiener index \(W(G)\) of a graph \(G\) is the oldest topological index and was widely studied through decades. It is defined as \[W(G))=\sum_{\{u,v\}\in V(G)}d(u,v),\] where \(d(u,v)\) represents the distance between \(u\) and \(v\) and is the minimum number of edges on a path between \(u\) and \(v\). Eccentricity \(\epsilon(v)\) of a vertex \(v\) of \(G\) is the largest distance from \(v\) to any other vertex of \(G\). The radius \(\mathrm{rad}(G)\) and the diameter \(\mathrm{diam}(G)\) of \(G\) are the minimum and the maximum, respectively, eccentricity among all vertices of \(G\). Further, eccentricity of \(G\) is defined as \[\epsilon(G)=\sum_{v\in V(G)}\epsilon(v).\] In this paper, several connections between \(W(G)\) and \(\epsilon(G)\) are proven. Among others, an upper and an lower bound for \(W(G)\) with respect to \(\epsilon(G)\) and the difference \(W(T)-\epsilon(T)\) for a tree \(T\) is shown to be minimum for caterpillars.