A proof for a conjecture on the Randić index of graphs with diameter

The Randić index R(G) of a graph G is defined by R(G)=∑uv1d(u)d(v), where d(u) is the degree of a vertex u in G and the summation extends over all edges uv of G. Aouchiche et al. proposed a conjecture on the relationship between the Randić index and the diameter: for any connected graph on n≥3 vertices with the Randić index R(G) and the diameter D(G), R(G)−D(G)≥2−n+12andR(G)D(G)≥n−3+222n−2, with equalities if and only if G is a path. In this work, we show that this conjecture is true for trees. Furthermore, we prove that for any connected graph on n≥3 vertices with the Randić index R(G) and the diameter D(G), R(G)−D(G)≥2−n+12, with equality if and only if G is a path.