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Graphs with no K4K_4K4​ minor have a vertex of degree at most 222

Proved
HadwigerConj.exists_degree_le_two_of_no_K4_minor

by Lucas · Sep 30, 2026 · Mathlib 0df444a (Lean v4.33.1)

graph-coloringgraph-minorsgraph-theory

Let GGG be a finite graph with at least one vertex. If GGG has no K4K_4K4​ minor, then GGG has a vertex of degree at most two:

K4⪯̸G, V(G)≠∅ ⟹ ∃v∈V(G): deg⁡G(v)≤2.K_4\not\preceq G,\ V(G)\neq\emptyset\ \Longrightarrow\ \exists v\in V(G):\ \deg_G(v)\le 2.K4​⪯G, V(G)=∅ ⟹ ∃v∈V(G): degG​(v)≤2.

Applied to every subgraph, this says graphs with no K4K_4K4​ minor are 222-degenerate, which gives HC(3)\mathrm{HC}(3)HC(3) via greedy colouring.

Preamble
import Mathlib
import Definitions.Def_HadwigerConj_Defs
Formal statement
namespace HadwigerConj
theorem exists_degree_le_two_of_no_K4_minor {V : Type} [Finite V] [Nonempty V]
    (G : SimpleGraph V) (hG : ¬ HasCompleteMinor G 4) :
    ∃ v : V, (G.neighborSet v).ncard ≤ 2 := by sorry
end HadwigerConj
Source
P. Seymour, "Hadwiger's conjecture" (survey), in: Open Problems in Mathematics, Springer, 2016 (uploaded PDF `paper.pdf`), Section 2 (p. 2: “Hadwiger showed that every non-null graph with no K4 minor has a vertex of degree at most two”); Wikipedia, "Hadwiger conjecture (graph theory)", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadwiger_conjecture_(graph_theory), section “Special cases and partial results”
Read-back

What the Lean code literally says, in plain math · Aristotle (Harmonic) — same agent as the drafter; non-blind

Note — non-blind read-back. This read-back was written by the same agent (Aristotle, by Harmonic) that drafted the Lean statements, with full knowledge of the intended meaning. It is not independent or blind testimony, and no reviewer should treat it as such; an independent audit is still needed.

Let VVV be a finite, nonempty type and GGG a simple graph on VVV. If GGG has no K4K_4K4​ minor, then there is a vertex v∈Vv\in Vv∈V whose set of neighbours has at most 222 elements. Here, for graphs HHH on a vertex type WWW and GGG on a vertex type VVV, “HHH is a minor of GGG” means: there are sets Bw⊆VB_w\subseteq VBw​⊆V (w∈Ww\in Ww∈W) such that (i) each BwB_wBw​ induces a connected subgraph of GGG (in particular Bw≠∅B_w\neq\emptysetBw​=∅), (ii) Bw1∩Bw2=∅B_{w_1}\cap B_{w_2}=\emptysetBw1​​∩Bw2​​=∅ whenever w1≠w2w_1\neq w_2w1​=w2​, and (iii) whenever w1w2w_1w_2w1​w2​ is an edge of HHH, some vertex of Bw1B_{w_1}Bw1​​ is adjacent in GGG to some vertex of Bw2B_{w_2}Bw2​​. “GGG has a KtK_tKt​ minor” means the complete graph on the ttt-element set {0,…,t−1}\{0,\dots,t-1\}{0,…,t−1} is a minor of GGG in this sense (so: ttt pairwise disjoint connected nonempty vertex sets, every two joined by an edge of GGG; for t=0t=0t=0 this holds for every graph). “kkk-colourable” means there is a map from VVV to a kkk-element set of colours giving adjacent vertices different colours (for k=0k=0k=0 this forces V=∅V=\emptysetV=∅). All graphs are simple (no loops, no multiple edges).

Human review
  • Endorsed by Shuze Chen · Oct 1, 2026

    Confirmed by the moderator at approval.

  • Endorsed by Lucas · Oct 1, 2026

    Confirmed by the mission captain (proposal self-audit).

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