math.CO

arXiv:2210.09227v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Ramsey theory is a central and active branch of combinatorics. Although Ramsey numbers for graphs have been extensively investigated since Ramsey's work in the 1930s, there is still an exponential gap between the best known lower and upper bounds. For $k$-uniform hypergraphs, the bounds are of tower-type, where the height grows with $k$. Here, we give a multidimensional generalisation of Ramsey's Theorem to Cartesian products of graphs, proving that a doubly exponential upper bound suffices in every dimension. More precisely, we prove that for every positive integers $r,n,d$, in any $r$-colouring of the edges of the Cartesian product $\square^{d} K_N$ of $d$ copies of $K_N$, there is a copy of $\square^{d} K_n$ such that the edges in each direction are monochromatic, provided that $N\geq 2^{2^{C_drn^{d}}}$. As an application of our approach we also obtain improvements on the multidimensional Erd\H{o}s-Szekeres Theorem proved by Fishburn and Graham $30$ years ago. Their bound was recently improved by Buci\'c, Sudakov, and Tran, who gave an upper bound that is triply exponential in four or more dimensions. We improve upon their results showing that a doubly expoenential upper bounds holds any number of dimensions.

arXiv:2501.00784v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: In 2009 Benoit Cloitre introduced a certain self-generating sequence $$(a_n)_{n\geq 1} = 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, \ldots,$$ with the property that the sum of the terms appearing in the $n$'th run equals twice the $n$'th term of the sequence. We give a connection between this sequence and the paperfolding sequence, and then prove Cloitre's conjecture about the density of $1$'s appearing in $(a_n)_{n \geq 1}$.

arXiv:2412.14784v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: In this paper, we study the following question. Let $\mathcal G$ be a family of planar graphs and let $k\geq 3$ be an integer. What is the largest value $f_k(n)$ such that every $n$-vertex graph in $\mathcal G$ has an induced subgraph with degree at most $k$ and with $f_k(n)$ vertices? Similar questions, in which one seeks a large induced forest, or a large induced linear forest, or a large induced $d$-degenerate graph, rather than a large induced graph of bounded degree, have been studied for decades and have given rise to some of the most fascinating and elusive conjectures in Graph Theory. We tackle our problem when $\mathcal G$ is the class of the outerplanar graphs or the class of the planar graphs. In both cases, we provide upper and lower bounds on the value of $f_k(n)$. For example, we prove that every $n$-vertex planar graph has an induced subgraph with degree at most $3$ and with $\frac{5n}{13}>0.384n$ vertices, and that there exist $n$-vertex planar graphs whose largest induced subgraph with degree at most $3$ has $\frac{4n}{7}+O(1)<0.572n+O(1)$ vertices.

arXiv:2411.04479v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: We prove that the number of partitions of the hypercube ${\bf Z}_q^n$ into $q^m$ subcubes of dimension $n-m$ each for fixed $q$, $m$ and growing $n$ is asymptotically equal to $n^{(q^m-1)/(q-1)}$. For the proof, we introduce the operation of the bang of a star matrix and demonstrate that any star matrix, except for a fractal, is expandable under some bang, whereas a fractal remains to be a fractal under any bang.

arXiv:2501.01383v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: A classic problem in data analysis is studying the systems of subsets defined by either a similarity or a dissimilarity function on $X$ which is either observed directly or derived from a data set. For an electrical network there are two functions on the set of the nodes defined by the resistance matrix and the response matrix either of which defines the network completely. We argue that these functions should be viewed as a similarity and a dissimilarity function on the set of the nodes moreover they are related via the covariance mapping also known as the Farris transform or the Gromov product. We will explore the properties of electrical networks from this point of view. It has been known for a while that the resistance matrix defines a metric on the nodes of the electrical networks. Moreover for a circular electrical network this metric obeys the Kalmanson property as it was shown recently. We will call such a metric an electrical Kalmanson metric. The main results of this paper is a complete description of the electrical Kalmanson metrics in the set of all Kalmanson metrics in terms of the geometry of the positive Isotropic Grassmannian whose connection to the theory of electrical networks was discovered earlier. One important area of applications where Kalmanson metrics are actively used is the theory of phylogenetic networks which are a generalization of phylogenetic trees. Our results allow us to use in phylogenetics the powerful methods of reconstruction of the minimal graphs of electrical networks and possibly open the door into data analysis for the methods of the theory of cluster algebras.

arXiv:2501.00161v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: The $H$-Induced Minor Containment problem ($H$-IMC) consists in deciding if a fixed graph $H$ is an induced minor of a graph $G$ given as input, that is, whether $H$ can be obtained from $G$ by deleting vertices and contracting edges. Several graphs $H$ are known for which $H$-IMC is \NP-complete, even when $H$ is a tree. In this paper, we investigate which conditions on $H$ and $G$ are sufficient so that the problem becomes polynomial-time solvable. Our results identify three infinite classes of graphs such that, if $H$ belongs to one of these classes, then $H$-IMC can be solved in polynomial time. Moreover, we show that if the input graph $G$ excludes long induced paths, then $H$-IMC is polynomial-time solvable for any fixed graph $H$. As a byproduct of our results, this implies that $H$-IMC is polynomial-time solvable for all graphs $H$ with at most $5$ vertices, except for three open cases.

arXiv:2501.00991v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: We investigate the structure of graphs of twin-width at most $1$, and obtain the following results: - Graphs of twin-width at most $1$ are permutation graphs. In particular they have an intersection model and a linear structure. - There is always a $1$-contraction sequence closely following a given permutation diagram. - Based on a recursive decomposition theorem, we obtain a simple algorithm running in linear time that produces a $1$-contraction sequence of a graph, or guarantees that it has twin-width more than $1$. - We characterise distance-hereditary graphs based on their twin-width and deduce a linear time algorithm to compute optimal sequences on this class of graphs.

arXiv:2501.01099v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Given a set of three positive integers {a1, a2, a3}, denoted A, the Frobenius problem in three variables is to find the greatest integer which cannot be expressed in the following form, where x1, x2 and x3 are non-negative integers: x1*a1 + x2*a2 + x3*a3 The fastest known algorithm for solving the three variable case of the Frobenius problem was invented by H. Greenberg in 1988 whose worst case time complexity is a logarithmic function of A. In 2017 A. Tripathi presented another algorithm for solving the same problem. This article presents an algorithm whose foundation is the same as Tripathi's. However, the algorithm presented here is significantly different from Tripathi's and we show that its worst case time complexity also is a logarithmic function of A

arXiv:2501.00144v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: It is well-known by now that any state of the $3\times 3 \times 3$ Rubik's Cube can be solved in at most 20 moves, a result often referred to as "God's Number". However, this result took Rokicki et al. around 35 CPU years to prove and is therefore very challenging to reproduce. We provide a novel approach to obtain a worse bound of 36 moves with high confidence, but that offers two main advantages: (i) it is easy to understand, reproduce, and verify, and (ii) our main idea generalizes to bounding the diameter of other vertex-transitive graphs by at most twice its true value, hence the name "demigod number". Our approach is based on the fact that, for vertex-transitive graphs, the average distance between vertices is at most half the diameter, and by sampling uniformly random states and using a modern solver to obtain upper bounds on their distance, a standard concentration bound allows us to confidently state that the average distance is around $18.32 \pm 0.1$, from where the diameter is at most $36$.

arXiv:2501.00157v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Given a hypergraph $H=(V,E)$, define for every edge $e\in E$ a linear expression with arguments corresponding with the vertices. Next, let the polynomial $p_H$ be the product of such linear expressions for all edges. Our main goal was to find a relationship between the Alon-Tarsi number of $p_H$ and the edge density of $H$. We prove that $AT(p_H)=\lceil ed(H)\rceil+1$ if all the coefficients in $p_H$ are equal to $1$. Our main result is that, no matter what those coefficients are, they can be permuted within the edges so that for the resulting polynomial $p_H^\prime$, $AT(p_H^\prime)\leq 2\lceil ed(H)\rceil+1$ holds. We conjecture that, in fact, permuting the coefficients is not necessary. If this were true, then in particular a significant generalization of the famous 1-2-3 Conjecture would follow.

arXiv:2501.00614v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Seymour's Second Neighborhood Conjecture asserts that in the square of any oriented graph, there exists a node whose out-degree at least doubles. This paper presents a definitive proof of the conjecture by introducing the GLOVER (Graph Level Order) data structure, which facilitates a systematic partitioning of neighborhoods and an analysis of degree-doubling conditions. By leveraging this structure, we construct a decreasing sequence of subsets that establish a well-ordering of nodes, ensuring that no counterexample can exist. This approach not only confirms the conjecture for all oriented graphs but also provides a novel framework for analyzing degrees and arcs in complex networks. The findings have implications for theoretical graph studies and practical applications in network optimization and algorithm design.

arXiv:2406.13902v3 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: We prove the existence of signed combinatorial interpretations for several large families of structure constants. These families include standard bases of symmetric and quasisymmetric polynomials, as well as various bases in Schubert theory. The results are stated in the language of computational complexity, while the proofs are based on the effective M\"obius inversion.

arXiv:2412.18070v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: We study the maximum and minimum occupancy fraction of the antiferromagnetic Ising model in regular graphs. The minimizing problem is known to determine a computational threshold in the complexity of approximately sampling from the Ising model at a given magnetization, and our results determine this threshold for nearly the entire relevant parameter range in the case $\Delta=3$. A small part of the parameter range lies outside the reach of our methods, and it seems challenging to extend our techniques to larger $\Delta$.

arXiv:2412.18595v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Let $B$ be a set of Eulerian subgraphs of a graph $G$. We say $B$ forms a $k$-basis if it is a minimum set that generates the cycle space of $G$, and any edge of $G$ lies in at most $k$ members of $B$. The basis number of a graph $G$, denoted by $b(G)$, is the smallest integer such that $G$ has a $k$-basis. A graph is called 1-planar (resp. planar) if it can be embedded in the plane with at most one crossing (resp. no crossing) per edge. MacLane's planarity criterion characterizes planar graphs based on their cycle space, stating that a graph is planar if and only if it has a $2$-basis. We study here the basis number of 1-planar graphs, demonstrate that it is unbounded in general, and show that it is bounded for many subclasses of 1-planar graphs.

arXiv:2412.17930v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: The paperfolding sequences form an uncountable class of infinite sequences over the alphabet $\{ -1, 1 \}$ that describe the sequence of folds arising from iterated folding of a piece of paper, followed by unfolding. In this note we observe that the sequence of run lengths in such a sequence, as well as the starting and ending positions of the $n$'th run, is $2$-synchronized and hence computable by a finite automaton. As a specific consequence, we obtain the recent results of Bunder, Bates, and Arnold, in much more generality, via a different approach. We also prove results about the critical exponent and subword complexity of these run-length sequences.

arXiv:2412.17890v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: The number of Nash equilibria of the mixed extension of a generic finite game in normal form is finite and odd. This raises the question how large the number can be, depending on the number of players and the numbers of their pure strategies. Here we present a lower bound for the maximal possible number in the case of m-player games where each player has two pure strategies. It is surprisingly close to a known upper bound.

arXiv:2412.18425v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: Two finite words are k-binomially equivalent if each subword (i.e., subsequence) of length at most k occurs the same number of times in both words. The k-binomial complexity of an infinite word is a function that maps the integer $n\geq 0$ to the number of k-binomial equivalence classes represented by its factors of length n. The Thue--Morse (TM) word and its generalization to larger alphabets are ubiquitous in mathematics due to their rich combinatorial properties. This work addresses the k-binomial complexities of generalized TM words. Prior research by Lejeune, Leroy, and Rigo determined the k-binomial complexities of the 2-letter TM word. For larger alphabets, work by L\"u, Chen, Wen, and Wu determined the 2-binomial complexity for m-letter TM words, for arbitrary m, but the exact behavior for $k\geq 3$ remained unresolved. They conjectured that the k-binomial complexity function of the m-letter TM word is eventually periodic with period $m^k$. We resolve the conjecture positively by deriving explicit formulae for the k-binomial complexity functions for any generalized TM word. We do this by characterizing k-binomial equivalence among factors of generalized TM words. This comprehensive analysis not only solves the open conjecture, but also develops tools such as abelian Rauzy graphs.

arXiv:2412.16962v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: The 2x2 space-filling curve is a type of generalized space-filling curve characterized by a basic unit is in a "U-shape" that traverses a 2x2 grid. In this work, we propose a universal framework for constructing general 2x2 curves where self-similarity is not strictly required. The construction is based on a novel set of grammars that define the expansion of curves from level 0 (a single point) to level 1 (units in U-shapes), which ultimately determines all $36 \times 2^k$ possible forms of curves on any level $k$ initialized from single points. We further developed an encoding system in which each unique form of the curve is associated with a specific combination of an initial seed and a sequence of codes that sufficiently describes both the global and local structures of the curve. We demonstrated that this encoding system is a powerful tool for studying 2x2 curves and we established comprehensive theoretical foundations from the following three key perspectives: 1) We provided a determinstic encoding for any unit on any level and position on the curve, enabling the study of curve generation across arbitrary parts on the curve and ranges of iterations; 2) We gave determinstic encodings for various curve transformations, including rotations, reflections and reversals; 3) We provided deterministic forms of families of curves exhibiting specific structures, including homogeneous curves, curves with identical shapes, with partially identical shapes and with completely distinct shapes. We also explored families of recursive curves, subunit identically shaped curves, symmetric curves and closed curves. Finally, we proposed a method to calculate the location of any point on the curve arithmetically, within a time complexity linear to the level of the curve.

arXiv:2412.17140v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: The presented work focuses on problems from determinant theory, set theory and topology. The term graph is the binding element that connects these problems. Graphs are distinguished by their geometrical simplicity, which helps in showing the equivalence between various seemingly unrelated problems, besides providing solutions to several open questions discussed here.

arXiv:2412.17694v1 Announce Type: cross Abstract: We propose and study a novel efficient algorithm for clustering and classification tasks based on the famous MBO scheme. On the one hand, inspired by Jacobs et al. [J. Comp. Phys. 2018], we introduce constraints on the size of clusters leading to a linear integer problem. We prove that the solution to this problem is induced by a novel order statistic. This viewpoint allows us to develop exact and highly efficient algorithms to solve such constrained integer problems. On the other hand, we prove an estimate of the computational complexity of our scheme, which is better than any available provable bounds for the state of the art. This rigorous analysis is based on a variational viewpoint that connects this scheme to volume-preserving mean curvature flow in the big data and small time-step limit.