This thesis is separated into two parts: threshold graphs and inertia sets. First we present an algorithmic approach to finding the minimum rank of threshold graphs and then progress to counting the number of threshold graphs with a specific minimum rank. Second, we find an algorithmic and more automated way of determining the inertia set of graphs with seven or fewer vertices using theorems and lemmata found in previous papers. Inertia sets are a relaxation of the inverse eigenvalue problem. Instead of determining all the possible eigenvalues that can be obtained by matrices with a specific zero/nonzero pattern we restrict to counting the number of positive and negative eigenvalues.

A sign pattern is a matrix whose entries are from the set $\{+, -, 0\}$. This thesis contains problems about refined inertias and minimum ranks of sign patterns. The refined inertia of a square real matrix $B$, denoted $\ri(B)$, is the ordered $4$-tuple $(n_+(B), \ n_-(B), \ n_z(B), \ 2n_p(B))$, where $n_+(B)$ (resp., $n_-(B)$) is the number of eigenvalues of $B$ with positive (resp., negative) real part, $n_z(B)$ is the number of zero eigenvalues of $B$, and $2n_p(B)$ is the number of pure imaginary eigenvalues of $B$. The minimum rank (resp., rational minimum rank) of a sign pattern matrix $\cal A$ is the minimum of the ranks of the real (resp., rational) matrices whose entries have signs equal to the corresponding entries of $\cal A$. First, we identify all minimal critical sets of inertias and refined inertias for full sign patterns of order 3. Then we characterize the star sign patterns of order $n\ge 5$ that require the set of refined inertias $\mathbb{H}_n=\{(0, n, 0, 0), (0, n-2, 0, 2), (2, n-2, 0, 0)\}$, which is an important set for the onset of Hopf bifurcation in dynamical systems. Finally, we establish a direct connection between condensed $m \times n $ sign patterns and zero-nonzero patterns with minimum rank $r$ and $m$ point-$n$ hyperplane configurations in ${\mathbb R}^{r-1}$. Some results about the rational realizability of the minimum ranks of sign patterns or zero-nonzero patterns are obtained.

A sign pattern matrix is a matrix whose entries are from the set {+,-,0}. The minimum rank of a sign pattern matrix A is the minimum of the rank of the real matrices whose entries have signs equal to the corresponding entries of A. It is conjectured that the minimum rank of every sign pattern matrix can be realized by a rational matrix. The equivalence of this conjecture to several seemingly unrelated statements are established. For some special cases, such as when A is entrywise nonzero, or the minimum rank of A is at most 2, or the minimum rank of A is at least n - 1,(where A is mxn), the conjecture is shown to hold.Connections between this conjecture and the existence of positive rational solutions of certain systems of homogeneous quadratic polynomial equations with each coefficient equal to either -1 or 1 are explored. Sign patterns that almost require unique rank are also investigated.

For a graph G we define S(G) to be the set of all real symmetric n by n matrices whose off-diagonal zero/nonzero pattern is described by G. We show how to compute the minimum rank of all matrices in S(G) for a class of graphs called outerplanar graphs. In addition, we obtain results on the possible eigenvalues and possible inertias of matrices in S(G) for certain classes of graph G. We also obtain results concerning the relationship between two graph parameters, the zero forcing number and the path cover number, related to the minimum rank problem.

Let G be an undirected graph on n vertices and let S(G) be the class of all real-valued symmetric n × n matrices whose nonzero off-diagonal entries occur in exactly the positions corresponding to the edges of G. Let V = {1, 2, . . . , n} be the vertex set of G. A scheme on G is a function f : V → {0, 1}. Given a scheme f on G, there is an associated class of matrices Sf (G) = {A ∈ S(G)|aii = 0 if and only if f(i) = 0}. A scheme f is said to be constructible if there exists a matrix A ∈ Sf (G) with rank A = min{rank M|M ∈ S(G)}. We explore properties of constructible schemes and give a complete classification of which schemes are constructible for paths and cycles. We also consider schemes on complete graphs and show the existence of a graph for which every possible scheme is constructible.

The zero forcing number is a graph parameter first introduced as a tool for solving the minimum rank problem, which is: Given a simple, undirected graph G, and a field F, let S(F,G) denote the set of all symmetric matrices A=[a_{ij}] with entries in F such that a_{ij} doess not equal 0 if and only if ij is an edge in G. Find the minimum possible rank of a matrix in S(F,G). It is known that the zero forcing number Z(G) provides an upper bound for the maximum nullity of a graph. I investigate properties of the zero forcing number, including its behavior under various graph operations.

Let G be a simple graph on n vertices, and let S(G) be the class of all real-valued symmetric nxn matrices whose nonzero off-diagonal entries occur in exactly the positions corresponding to the edges of G. The smallest rank achieved by a matrix in S(G) is called the minimum rank of G, denoted mr(G). The maximum nullity achieved by a matrix in S(G) is denoted M(G). For each graph G, there is an associated minimum rank class, MR(G) consisting of all matrices A in S(G) with rank A = mr(G). Although no restrictions are applied to the diagonal entries of matrices in S(G), sometimes diagonal entries corresponding to specific vertices of G must be zero for all matrices in MR(G). These vertices are known as nil vertices (see [6]). In this paper I discuss some basic results about nil vertices in general and nil vertices in cographs and prove that cographs with a nil vertex of a particular form contain two other nil vertices symmetric to the first. I discuss several open questions relating to these results and a counterexample. I prove that for all cographs G without an induced complete tripartite graph with independent sets all of size 3, the zero-forcing number Z(G), a graph theoretic parameter, is equal to M(G). In fact this result holds for a slightly larger class of cographs and in particular holds for all threshold graphs. Lastly, I prove that the maximum of the minimum ranks of all cographs on n vertices is the floor of 2n/3.

A sign pattern matrix is a matrix whose entries are from the set {+,-, 0}. For a real matrix B, sgn(B) is the sign pattern matrix obtained by replacing each positive respectively, negative, zero) entry of B by + (respectively, -, 0). For a sign pattern matrixA, the sign pattern class of A, denoted Q(A), is defined as { B : sgn(B)= A }. The minimum rank mr(A)(maximum rank MR(A)) of a sign pattern matrix A is the minimum (maximum) of the ranks of the real matrices in Q(A). Several results concerning sign patterns A that require almost unique rank, that is to say, the sign patterns A such that MR(A)= mr(A)+1 are established. In particular, a complete characterization of these sign patterns is obtained. Further, the results on sign patterns that require almost unique rank are extended to sign patterns A for which the spread is d =MR(A)-mr(A).

We have two main results. Our first main result is a sharp bound for the number of vertices in a minimal forbidden subgraph for the graphs having minimum rank at most 3 over the finite field of order 2. We also list all 62 such minimal forbidden subgraphs and show that many of these are minimal forbidden subgraphs for any field. Our second main result is a structural characterization of all graphs having minimum rank at most k for any k over any finite field. This characterization leads to a very strong connection to projective geometry and we apply projective geometry results to the minimum rank problem.

Let F be a field, let G be an undirected graph on n vertices, and let SF(G) be the set of all F-valued symmetric n x n matrices whose nonzero off-diagonal entries occur in exactly the positions corresponding to the edges of G. Let MRF(G) be defined as the set of matrices in SF(G) whose rank achieves the minimum of the ranks of matrices in SF(G). We develop techniques involving Z-hat, a process termed nil forcing, and induced subgraphs, that can determine when diagonal entries corresponding to specific vertices of G must be zero or nonzero for all matrices in MRF(G). We call these vertices nil or nonzero vertices, respectively. If a vertex is not a nil or nonzero vertex, we call it a neutral vertex. In addition, we completely classify the vertices of trees in terms of the classifications: nil, nonzero and neutral. Next we give an example of how nil vertices can help solve the inverse inertia problem. Lastly we give results about the inverse eigenvalue problem and solve a more complex variation of the problem (the λ, µ problem) for the path on 4 vertices. We also obtain a general result for the λ, µ problem concerning the number of λ’s and µ’s that can be equal.