Cycle graph:C5
This article defines a particular undirected graph, i.e., the definition here determines the graph uniquely up to graph isomorphism.
View a complete list of particular undirected graphs
Definition
This undirected graph is defined in the following equivalent ways:
- It is the cycle graph on 5 vertices, i.e., the graph
 - It is the Paley graph corresponding to the field of 5 elements
 - It is the unique (up to graph isomorphism) self-complementary graph on a set of 5 vertices
 
Note that 5 is the only size for which the Paley graph coincides with the cycle graph. In general, the Paley graph can be expressed as an edge-disjoint union of cycle graphs. In our case, , so the graphs coincide.
Explicit descriptions
Descriptions of vertex set and edge set
Vertex set:
Edge set:
Adjacency matrix
The adjacency matrix with the above choice of vertex set is:
Arithmetic functions
Size measures
| Function | Value | Explanation | 
|---|---|---|
| size of vertex set | 5 | By either definition | 
| size of edge set | 5 | As :  As :  | 
Numerical invariants associated with vertices
Since the graph is a vertex-transitive graph, any numerical invariant associated to a vertex must be equal on all vertices of the graph. Below are listed some of these invariants:
| Function | Value | Explanation | 
|---|---|---|
| degree of a vertex | 2 | As : 2 As :  | 
| eccentricity of a vertex | 2 | As : greatest integer of  equals 2 As : 2 (follows from every element of a finite field is expressible as a sum of two squares)  | 
Other numerical invariants
| Function | Value | Explanation | 
|---|---|---|
| clique number | 2 | As cycle graph : 2 (since ) | 
| independence number | 2 | As cycle graph : Greatest integer of , which is greatest integer of , which is 2 | 
| chromatic number | 3 | As cycle graph : 3 since is odd | 
| radius of a graph | 2 | Due to vertex-transitivity, the radius equals the eccentricity of any vertex, which has been computed above. | 
| diameter of a graph | 2 | Due to vertex-transitivity, the diameter equals the eccentricity of any vertex, which has been computed above. | 
| girth of a graph | 5 | As :  As : 5. Note that for all higher , the girth of the graph is 3, due to the fact that there are pairs of nonzero quadratic residues that differ by 1, and this number is positive whenever .  | 
| circuit rank | 1 | As : 1 (doesn't depend on ) As :  | 
Graph properties
| Property | Satisfied? | Explanation | 
|---|---|---|
| self-complementary graph | Yes | Paley graphs are self-complementary | 
| strongly regular graph | Yes | Paley graphs are strongly regular | 
| regular graph | Yes | Follows from being strongly regular. Also follows from the fact that cycle graphs are 2-regular. | 
| conference graph | Yes | Paley graphs are conference graphs | 
| symmetric graph | Yes | |
| edge-transitive graph | Yes | Follows on account of being Paley and also on account of being cyclic | 
| vertex-transitive graph | Yes | 
Graph operations
| Operation | Graph obtained as a result of the operation | 
|---|---|
| complement of a graph | isomorphic to the cycle graph, because the graph is self-complementary | 
| line graph | complement of Petersen graph | 
| prism of a graph | dihedral graph on 10 vertices | 
Algebraic theory
The adjacency matrix, well defined up to conjugation by permutations, is:
| Algebraic invariant | Value | Explanation | 
|---|---|---|
| characteristic polynomial | ||
| minimal polynomial | ||
| rank of adjacency matrix | 3 | |
| eigenvalues (roots of characteristic polynomial) | 2 (1 time), (2 times), (2 times) | 
Realization
As Cayley graph
Note that for this to be the Cayley graph of a group, the group must have order 5, and the generating set with respect to which we construct the Cayley graph must be a symmetric subset of the group of size equal to the degrees of vertices in the graph, which is 2.
| Group | Choice of symmetric set that is a generating set for which the Cayley graph is this | 
|---|---|
| cyclic group:Z5 | cyclic generator and its inverse |