math.CO — Combinatorics
Disjoint union activation of difference distance magic labelings
A graph is difference distance magic orientable (DDMO) if its vertices can be labeled bijectively by consecutive positive integers and its edges oriented so that the incoming and outgoing neighbor-label sums agree at every vertex. We give an affirmative answer to the disjoint-union question posed by Aceska et al. in January 2026: two copies of the non-DDMO graph K₃,₃ have a DDMO disjoint union. More precisely, for k ≥ 1 and r ≥ 0, the graph consisting of k disjoint copies of K₃,₃ and r isolated vertices is difference distance magic orientable if and only if k is even or r ≥ 1. The proof reduces fixed-label bipartite orientations to signed zero sums and applies classical Skolem and hooked Skolem pairings. A compatible fixed labeling of K₃,₃ has exactly two orientations, related by reversal. We prove that twelve vertices is the minimum order of a DDMO graph whose connected components are all non-DDMO in isolation. A separate exact computer-assisted classification shows that two disjoint copies of K₃,₃ form the unique graph attaining that minimum.