On Crossing Numbers of Complete Tripartite and Balanced Complete Multipartite Graphs

The crossing number cr(G) of a graph G is the minimum number of crossings in a nondegenerate planar drawing of G. The rectilinear crossing number cr(G) of G is the minimum number of crossings in a rectilinear nondegenerate planar drawing (with edges as straight line segments) of G. Zarankiewicz proved in 1952 that cr(Kn1,n2) ≤ Z(n1, n2) := ⌊ n1 2 ⌋ ⌊ n1−1 2 ⌋ ⌊ n2 2 ⌋ ⌊ n2−1 2 ⌋ . We define an analogous bound for the complete tripartite graph Kn1,n2,n3 ,