Metric and ultrametric inequalities for resistances in directed graphs

Publication date 29 September 2020

Abstract: Consider an electrical circuit

G

each directed edge

e

of which is a semiconductor with a monomial conductance function

y_{e}^{*} = f_{e} (y_{e}) = y_{e}^{s} / m u_{e}^{r}

if

y_{e} g e q 0

and

y_{e}^{*} = 0

if

y_{e} l e q 0

. Here

e

is a directed edge,

y_{e}

is the potential difference (voltage),

y_{e}^{*}

is the current in

e

, and

m u_{e}

is the resistance of

e

; furthermore,

r

and

s

are two strictly positive real parameters common for all edges. In particular, case

r = s = 1

corresponds to the Ohm law, while

r = f r a c 12, s = 1

may be interpreted as the square law of resistance typical for hydraulics and gas dynamics. We will show that for every ordered pair of nodes

a, b

of the circuit, the effective resistance

m u_{a, b}

is well-defined. In other words, any two-pole network with poles

a

and

b

can be effectively replaced by two oppositely directed edges, from

a

to

b

of resistance

m u_{a, b}

and from

b

to

a

of resistance

m u_{b, a}

. Furthermore, for every three nodes

a, b, c

the inequality

m u_{a, c}^{s / r} + m u_{c, b}^{s / r} g e q m u_{a, b}^{s / r}

holds, in which the equality is achieved if and only if every directed path from

a

to

b

contains

c

. MSC classes: 11J83, 90C25, 94C15,94C99

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