Total colorings of \(F_5\)-free planar graphs with maximum degree 8 (Q405156)

Summary: The total chromatic number of a graph \(G\), denoted by \(\chi^{\prime \prime}(G)\), is the minimum number of colors needed to color the vertices and edges of \(G\) such that no two adjacent or incident elements get the same color. It is known that if a planar graph \(G\) has maximum degree \(\Delta \geq 9\), then \(\chi^{\prime \prime}(G) = \Delta + 1\). The join \(K_1 \vee P_n\) of \(K_1\) and \(P_n\) is called a fan graph \(F_n\). In this paper, we prove that if \(G\) is a \(F_5\)-free planar graph with maximum degree 8, then \(\chi^{\prime \prime}(G) = 9\).