The combinatorial cost
arXiv:math/0608474
Abstract
We study the combinatorial analogues of the classical invariants of measurable equivalence relations. We introduce the notion of cost and -invariants (the analogue of the first -Betti number introduced by Gaboriau) for sequences of finite graphs with uniformly bounded vertex degrees and examine the relation of these invariants and the rank gradient resp. mod homology gradient invariants introduced by Lackenby for residually finite groups.