If X is a geodesic metric space and $x_1,x_2,x_3\in X$, a geodesic triangle $T=\{x_1,x_2,x_3\}$ is the union of the three geodesics $[x_1x_2]$, $[x_2x_3]$ and $[x_3x_1]$ in $X$. The space $X$ is $\delta$-hyperbolic $($in the Gromov sense$)$ if any side of $T$ is contained in a $\delta$-neighborhood of the union of the two other sides, for every geodesic triangle $T$ in $X$. If $X$ is hyperbolic, we denote by $\delta (X)$ the sharp hyperbolicity constant of $X$, i.e., $\delta (X)=\inf\{\delta\geq 0: \, X \, \text{ is $\delta$-hyperbolic}\,\}\,.$ In this paper we characterize the strong product of two graphs $G_1\boxtimes G_2$ which are hyperbolic, in terms of $G_1$ and $G_2$: the strong product graph $G_1\boxtimes G_2$ is hyperbolic if and only if one of the factors is hyperbolic and the other one is bounded. We also prove some sharp relations between $\delta (G_1\boxtimes G_2)$, $\delta (G_1)$, $\delta (G_2)$ and the diameters of $G_1$ and $G_2$ (and we find families of graphs for which the inequalities are attained). Furthermore, we obtain the exact values of the hyperbolicity constant for many strong product graphs.
The metric dimension of strong product graphs