Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 April 2009
We associate with a graph (finite, undirected, without loops and multiple lines) a graph T(G), called the total graph of G. This new graph has the property that a one-to-one correspondence can be established between its points and the elements (points and lines) of G such that two points of T(G) are adjacent if and only if the corresponding elements of G are adjacent or incident. The object of this article is to prove the following theorem: If K(G1) = n, n ≥ 1, and λ(G2) = m, m ≥ 1, then K(T(G1)) ≥ n + 2 + [(n - 2)/3], λ(T(G1)) ≥ 2n, K(T(G2)) ≥ m + 1, and λ(T(G2)) ≥ 2m, where k(G) and λ(G) denote the connectivity and line-connectivity of the graph G.