We give short proofs of the following two results: Thomas's theorem that every finite graph has a linked tree-decomposition of width no greater than its tree-width; and the ‘tree-width duality theorem’ of Seymour and Thomas, that the tree-width of a finite graph is exactly one less than the largest order of its brambles.

In this paper we study distances in random subgraphs of a generalized n-cube [Qscr]ns over a finite alphabet S of size s. [Qscr]ns is the direct product of complete graphs over s vertices, its vertices being the n-tuples (x1, …, xn), with xi ∈ S, i = 1, … n, and two vertices being adjacent if they differ in exactly one coordinate. A random (induced) subgraph γ of [Qscr]ns is obtained by selecting [Qscr]ns-vertices with independent probability pn and then inducing the corresponding edges from [Qscr]ns. Our main result is that dγ(P,Q) [les ] [2k+3]d[Qscr]ns(P,Q) almost surely for P,Q ∈ γ, pn = n−a and 0 [les ] a < ½, where k = [1+3a/1−2a] and dγ and d[Qscr]ns denote the distances in γ and [Qscr]ns, respectively.

The hexagonal lattice site percolation critical probability is shown to be at most 0.79472, improving the best previous mathematically rigorous upper bound. The bound is derived by using the substitution method to compare the site model with the bond model, the latter of which is exactly solved. Shortcuts which eliminate a substantial amount of computation make the derivation of the bound possible.

Given a graph G on n vertices with average degree d, form a random subgraph Gp by choosing each edge of G independently with probability p. Strengthening a classical result of Margulis we prove that, if the edge connectivity k(G) satisfies k(G) [Gt] d/log n, then the connectivity threshold in Gp is sharp. This result is asymptotically tight.

We study a model motivated by the minesweeper game. In this model one starts with the percolation of mines on the lattice ℤd, and then tries to find an infinite path of mine-free sites. At every recovery of a free site, the player is given some information on the sites adjacent to the current site. We compare the parameter values for which there exists a strategy such that the process survives to the critical parameter of ordinary percolation. We then derive improved bounds for these values for the same process, when the player has some complexity restrictions in computing his moves. Finally, we discuss some monotonicity issues which arise naturally for this model.

This paper introduces a split-and-merge transformation of interval partitions which combines some features of one model studied by Gnedin and Kerov [12, 11] and another studied by Tsilevich [30, 31] and Mayer-Wolf, Zeitouni and Zerner [21]. The invariance under this split-and-merge transformation of the interval partition generated by a suitable Poisson process yields a simple proof of the recent result of [21] that a Poisson–Dirichlet distribution is invariant for a closely related fragmentation–coagulation process. Uniqueness and convergence to the invariant measure are established for the split-and-merge transformation of interval partitions, but the corresponding problems for the fragmentation–coagulation process remain open.

We present improved lower and upper bounds for the time constant of first-passage percolation on the square lattice. For the case of lower bounds, a new method, using the idea of a transition matrix, has been used. Numerical results for the exponential and uniform distributions are presented. A simulation study is included, which results in new estimates and improved upper confidence limits for the time constants.

For two stochastically dependent random variables X and Y taking values in {0,…, m−1}, we study the distribution of the random residue U = XY mod m. Our main result is an upper bound for the distance Δm = supx∈[0,1] [mid ] P(U/m [les ] x)−x[mid ]. For independent and uniformly distributed X and Y, the exact distribution of U is derived and shown to be stochastically smaller than the uniform distribution on {0,…, m−1}. Moreover, in this case Δm is given explicitly.

Let q be an integer with q [ges ] 2. We give a new proof of a result of Erdös and Turán determining the proportion of elements of the finite symmetric group Sn having no cycle of length a multiple of q. We then extend our methods to the more difficult case of obtaining the proportion of such elements in the finite alternating group An. In both cases, we derive an asymptotic formula with error term for the above mentioned proportion, which contains an unexpected occurrence of the Gamma-function.

We apply these results to estimate the proportion of elements of order 2f in Sn, and of order 3f in An and Sn, where gcd(2, f) = 1, and gcd(3, f) = 1, respectively, and log f is polylogarithmic in n. We also give estimates for the probability that the fth power of such elements is a transposition or a 3-cycle, respectively. An algorithmic application of these results to computing in An or Sn, given as a black-box group with an order oracle, is discussed.

We consider k-uniform set systems over a universe of size n such that the size of each pairwise intersection of sets lies in one of s residue classes mod q, but k does not lie in any of these s classes. A celebrated theorem of Frankl and Wilson [8] states that any such set system has size at most (ns) when q is prime. In a remarkable recent paper, Grolmusz [9] constructed set systems of superpolynomial size Ω(exp(c log2n/log log n)) when q = 6. We give a new, simpler construction achieving a slightly improved bound. Our construction combines a technique of Frankl [6] of ‘applying polynomials to set systems’ with Grolmusz's idea of employing polynomials introduced by Barrington, Beigel and Rudich [5]. We also extend Frankl's original argument to arbitrary prime-power moduli: for any ε > 0, we construct systems of size ns+g(s), where g(s) = Ω(s1−ε). Our work overlaps with a very recent technical report by Grolmusz [10].

Let G be a connected graph that is 2-cell embedded in a surface S, and let G* be its topological dual graph. We will define and discuss several matroids whose element set is E(G), for S homeomorphic to the plane, projective plane, or torus. We will also state and prove old and new results of the type that the dual matroid of G is the matroid of the topological dual G*.

Let {Av}v∈V be a finite collection of events and G = (V, E) be a chordal graph. Our main result – the chordal graph sieve – is a Bonferroni-type inequality where the selection of intersections in the estimates is determined by a chordal graph G. It interpolates between Boole's inequality (G empty) and the sieve formula (G complete). By varying G, several inequalities both well-known and new are obtained in a concise and unified way.

We show that the limiting distribution of the number of comparisons used by Hoare's quickselect algorithm when given a random permutation of n elements for finding the mth-smallest element, where m = o(n), is the Dickman function. The limiting distribution of the number of exchanges is also derived.

We show that, if G is a graph of order n with maximal degree Δ(G) and minimal degree δ(G) whose complement contains no K2,s, s [ges ] 2, then G contains every tree T of order n−s+1 whose maximal degree is at most Δ(G) and whose vertex of second-largest degree is at most δ(G). We then show that this result implies that special cases of two conjectures are true. We verify that the Erdös–Sós conjecture, which states that a graph whose average degree is larger than k−1 contains every tree of order k+1, is true for graphs whose complement does not contain a K2,4, and the Komlós–Sós conjecture, which states that every graph of median degree at least k contains every tree of order k+1, is true for graphs whose complement does not contain a K2,3.

Consider a finite alphabet Ω and patterns which consist of characters from Ω. For a given pattern w, let cor(w) denote its autocorrelation, which can be seen as a measure of the amount of overlap in w. Letting aw(n) denote the number of strings over Ω of length n which do not contain w as a substring, the main result of this paper is: If cor(w) > cor(w′) then aw(n)−aw′(n) > (|Ω|−1)(aw(n−1)−aw′(n−1)) for n [ges ] N, and the value of N is given. This result confirms a conjecture by Eriksson [2], which was previously proved to be true by Cakir, Chryssaphinou and Månsson [1] when |Ω| [ges ] 3.

In this note it is shown that resistance and resistance dimension are rough isometry invariant.

Consider the class of graphs on n vertices which have maximum degree at most 1/2n−1+τ, where τ [ges ] −n1/2+ε for sufficiently small ε > 0. We find an asymptotic formula for the number of such graphs and show that their number of edges has a normal distribution whose parameters we determine. We also show that expectations of random variables on the degree sequences of such graphs can often be estimated using a model based on truncated binomial distributions.

Let r = r(n) → ∞ with 3 [les ] r [les ] n1−η for an arbitrarily small constant η > 0, and let Gr denote a graph chosen uniformly at random from the set of r-regular graphs with vertex set {1, 2, …, n}. We prove that, with probability tending to 1 as n → ∞, Gr has the following properties: the independence number of Gr is asymptotically 2n log r/r and the chromatic number of Gr is asymptotically r/2nlogr.

We study the complexity of computing the coefficients of three classical polynomials, namely the chromatic, flow and reliability polynomials of a graph. Each of these is a specialization of the Tutte polynomial Σtijxiyj. It is shown that, unless NP = RP, many of the relevant coefficients do not even have good randomized approximation schemes. We consider the quasi-order induced by approximation reducibility and highlight the pivotal position of the coefficient t10 = t01, otherwise known as the beta invariant.

Our nonapproximability results are obtained by showing that various decision problems based on the coefficients are NP-hard. A study of such predicates shows a significant difference between the case of graphs, where, by Robertson–Seymour theory, they are computable in polynomial time, and the case of matrices over finite fields, where they are shown to be NP-hard.