Diagonal transformations of triangulation on surfaces (Q2639868)

Let T be a finite triangulation (by a simple graph) of a surface. A diagonal transformation on T is a replacement of a diagonal in a quadrangle (formed by adjacent triangles) by the other one, provided that the simpleness of the underlying graph is preserved. In 1936, K. Wagner proved that any two planar triangulations with the same number of vertices can be obtained from each other by a sequence of diagonal transformations. The authors extend Wagner's result to the torus, the projective plane, and the Klein bottle.