MATHEMATICAL TRIPOS Part III
Friday, 1 June, 2018 9:00 am to 11:00 am
PAPER 110
EXTREMAL GRAPH THEORY
Attempt no more than THREE questions.
There are FOUR questions in total.
The questions carry equal weight.
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printed on the subsequent pages until
instructed to do so by the Invigilator.
2
1
State the Erdős-Stone theorem.
Let t, r ∈ N be given and let (Gn ) be a sequence of graphs, such that Gn has order n
n
and size (1−1/r+o(1)) 2 . Show that if Kr+1 (t) is not a subgraph of Gn then Gn contains
an r-partite subgraph H of minimum degree (1 − 1/r + o(1))n.
Show that if χ(F ) = r +1 and G is extremal for F then G itself has minimum degree
(1 − 1/r + o(1))n, where n = |G|.
Let r, s ∈ N be fixed. Show that, for large n, the unique extremal graph for sKr+1
(s disjoint copies of Kr+1 ) is Ks−1 + Tr (n − s + 1) (that is, Ks−1 with every vertex joined
to every vertex of a Turán graph on the remaining vertices).
[Hint. As usual, assign each vertex of G to the class in H in which it has fewest
neighbours. Consider the cases (a) some vertex of G has more than o(n) neighbours in its
own class, applying induction on s, (b) some class contains s independent edges and (c)
each class has a set of 2(s − 1) vertices meeting all edges in its class.]
2
Let G be a graph of order n and let kp (G) be the number of copies of Kp in G. Let
c ∈ R and let f (G) = k2 (G) − ck3 (G). Show that, amongst graphs of order n, the function
f (G) takes its maximum on some complete multipartite graph.
Deduce that, for 0 6 θ 6 1, if G has (1 − θ)k2 (T2 (n)) + θk2 (T3 (n)) edges then it
contains at least θk3 (T3 (n)) triangles, where Tp (n) is the p-partite Turán graph of order n.
Suppose now that n > 4 is even, and that G has n2 /4 + 1 edges. Show that G has
at least n/2 triangles.
[Hint. Consider the case where every edge is in some triangle, and the other case.
For the latter, apply induction on n: if uv is in no triangles, how many edges can meet uv?]
3
State and prove Szemerédi’s Regularity Lemma. [You may assume that if U ′ ⊂ U
and W ′ ⊂ W satisfy |U ′ | > (1 − δ)|U | and |W ′ | > (1 − δ)|W | then |d(U ′ , W ′ ) − d(U, W )| 6
2δ, and also any quantitative form of the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality that you need.]
Let G be a graph of order n with 51n2 /200 edges. Explain why there exists some
c > 0 such that V (G) contains disjoint sets U1 , U2 , U3 with |Ui | > cn, 1 6 i 6 3, and with
each pair (Ui , Uj ), 1 6 i < j 6 3, being 10−3 –uniform and having density at least 10−3 .
Part III, Paper 110
3
4
Recall from the lectures that c(t) = inf{c : e(G) > c|G| =⇒ G ≻ Kt }.
√
Show that there exists some constant β > 0 such that c(t) > βt log t for large t.
[Standard probabilistic facts may be assumed if stated clearly.]
√
Show that c(t) 6 7t log t for large t.
[You may assume that, for every integer k, if e(G) 6 11k|G| then G ≻ H where
|H| 6 11k + 2 and 2δ(H) > |H| + 4k − 1.]
Show that, if n > 4 and G has n vertices and 2n − 2 edges, then G ≻ K4 .
[Hint. Apply induction on n, considering the case where every edge lies in at least
two triangles and the other case.]
Does the same statement hold with 2n − 2 replaced by 2n − 3?
END OF PAPER
Part III, Paper 110
