On the Complexity of the Vertex 3-Coloring Problem for the Hereditary Graph Classes With Forbidden Subgraphs of Small Size

Abstract

The 3-coloring problem for a given graph consists in verifying whether it is possible to divide the vertex set of the graph into three subsets of pairwise nonadjacent vertices. A complete complexity classification is known for this problem for the hereditary classes defined by triples of forbidden induced subgraphs, each on at most 5 vertices. In this article, the quadruples of forbidden induced subgraphs is under consideration, each on atmost 5 vertices. For all but three corresponding hereditary classes, the computational status of the 3-coloring problem is determined. Considering two of the remaining three classes, we prove their polynomial equivalence and polynomial reducibility to the third class.