On a conjecture concerning the Petersen graph (Q625382)

Robertson has conjectured that the only 3-connected, internally 4-connected graph of girth 5 in which every odd cycle of length greater than 5 has a chord is the Petersen graph. The authors prove this conjecture in the special case where the graphs involved are also cubic. Moreover, this proof does not require the internal-4-connectivity assumption. An example is then presented to show that the assumption of internal 4-connectivity cannot be dropped as an hypothesis in the original conjecture. For an overview of the Petersen graph see [\textit{D. A. Holton} and \textit{J. Sheehan}, ``The Petersen graph,'' Australian Mathematical Society Lecture Series. 7. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (1993; Zbl 0781.05001)]). One of the main tools used in proving is the theorem of Mader that every graph, except the Petersen graph, of order \(n \geq 6\) with at least \(2n-5\) edges, and of girth at least 5 contains a subdivision of the complete graph on five vertices minus one edge. (See [\textit{W. Mader}, ``An extremal problem for subdivisions of \(K_5^-\),'' J. Graph Theory 30, No.\,4, 261--276 (1999; Zbl 0920.05040)].)