Skip to main content

Inequalities for the number of linear extensions

Abstract

Lete(P) denote the number of linear extensions of a partial orderP. Interpreting the diagram ofP as a network, ande(P) as the value of a flow, we prove some upper and lower bounds fore(P). One of the consequences is the following. If the incomparability graph ofP can be covered by the incomparability graphs of ordersP 1,P 2,...,P k thene(P) ≤e(P 1)e(P 2)...e(P k ).

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

References

  1. B.Dushnik and E. W.Miller (1941) Partially ordered sets,Amer. J. Math. 63, 600–610.

    Google Scholar 

  2. P.Edelman, T.Hibi, and R. P.Stanley (1989) A recurrence for linear extensions,Order 6, 15–18.

    Google Scholar 

  3. L. R.Ford and D. R.Fulkerson (1962) Flows in networks, Princeton University Press, Princeton.

    Google Scholar 

  4. A. F.Sidorenko (1981) The number of linear extensions of a partial order as a function of its incomparability graph,Math. Notes 29, 40–44.

    Google Scholar 

  5. R. P.Stanley (1986) Two poset polytopes,Discrete Comput. Geom. 1, 9–23.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Communicated by I. Rival

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sidorenko, A. Inequalities for the number of linear extensions. Order 8, 331–340 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00571183

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00571183

Mathematics Subject Classification (1991)

  • 06A07

Key words

  • Linear extensions
  • incomparability graphs