The Penrose-Kauffman Polynomial

Abstract

For any cubic graph in a closed orientable surface and a perfect matching, the Penrose-Kauffman polynomial is a sum of chromatic polynomials of a collection of associated graphs. A knot-theoretic perspective affords elementary proofs of old and new results about the polynomial. The Four Color Theorem is shown to be equivalent to a statement about 3-coloring alternating link diagrams in the plane that are reduced and have no bigon regions.