[Math] Difference between trivial component and isolated vertex

definitiongraph theory

I have following definitions in my Graph Theory lecture notes:

  1. The components of a graph G are its maximal connected subgraphs
  2. A component (or graph) is trivial if it has no edges
  3. An isolated vertex is a vertex of degree 0

What is the difference between a trivial component and an isolated vertex? I think they are equal. Is it true?

Best Answer

Yes you're right. A trivial component is a connected graph with no edges so it has degree 0 and is thus an isolated vertex. However. A trivial graph is the complement of $K_n$ and that is probably what the (graph) part under 2. wants to emphasize.