Arithmetical Semirings

Abstract

We study the number of connected graphs with $n$ vertices that cannot be written as the cartesian product of two graphs with fewer vertices. We give an upper bound which implies that for large $n$ almost all graphs are both connected and cartesian prime. For graphs with an even number of vertices, a full asymptotic expansion is obtained. Our method, inspired by Knopfmacher's theory of arithmetical semigroups, is based on reduction to Wright's asymptotic expansion for the number of connected graphs with $n$ vertices.