Abstract
Let G be a graph on p vertices with q edges and let r = q - p + 1. We show that G has at most 15/162(r) cycles. We also show that if G is planar, then G has at most 2(r-1) + o(2(r-1)) cycles. The planar result is best possible in the sense that any prism, that is, the Cartesian product of a cycle and a path with one edge, has more than 2(r-1) cycles. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.