The inducibility of a graph H measures the maximum number of induced copies of H a large graph G can have. Generalizing this notion, we study how many induced subgraphs of fixed order k and size ℓ a large graph G on n vertices can have. Clearly, this number is $\left( {\matrix{n \cr k}}\right)$ for every n, k and $\ell \in \left\{ {0,\left( {\matrix{k \cr 2}} \right)}\right\}$. We conjecture that for every n, k and $0 \lt \ell \lt \left( {\matrix{k \cr 2}}\right)$ this number is at most $ (1/e + {o_k}(1)) {\left( {\matrix{n \cr k}} \right)}$. If true, this would be tight for ℓ ∈ {1, k − 1}.

In support of our ‘Edge-statistics Conjecture’, we prove that the corresponding density is bounded away from 1 by an absolute constant. Furthermore, for various ranges of the values of ℓ we establish stronger bounds. In particular, we prove that for ‘almost all’ pairs (k, ℓ) only a polynomially small fraction of the k-subsets of V(G) have exactly ℓ edges, and prove an upper bound of $ (1/2 + {o_k}(1)){\left( {\matrix{n \cr k}}\right)}$ for ℓ = 1.

Our proof methods involve probabilistic tools, such as anti-concentration results relying on fourth moment estimates and Brun’s sieve, as well as graph-theoretic and combinatorial arguments such as Zykov’s symmetrization, Sperner’s theorem and various counting techniques.

The induced removal lemma of Alon, Fischer, Krivelevich and Szegedy states that if an n-vertex graph G is ε-far from being induced H-free then G contains δH(ε) · nh induced copies of H. Improving upon the original proof, Conlon and Fox proved that 1/δH(ε)is at most a tower of height poly(1/ε), and asked if this bound can be further improved to a tower of height log(1/ε). In this paper we obtain such a bound for graphs G of density O(ε). We actually prove a more general result, which, as a special case, also gives a new proof of Fox’s bound for the (non-induced) removal lemma.

For given graphs G1,…, Gk, the size-Ramsey number $\hat R({G_1}, \ldots ,{G_k})$ is the smallest integer m for which there exists a graph H on m edges such that in every k-edge colouring of H with colours 1,…,k, H contains a monochromatic copy of Gi of colour i for some 1 ≤ i ≤ k. We denote $\hat R({G_1}, \ldots ,{G_k})$ by ${\hat R_k}(G)$ when G1 = ⋯ = Gk = G.

Haxell, Kohayakawa and Łuczak showed that the size-Ramsey number of a cycle Cn is linear in n, ${\hat R_k}({C_n}) \le {c_k}n$ for some constant ck. Their proof, however, is based on Szemerédi’s regularity lemma so no specific constant ck is known.

In this paper, we give various upper bounds for the size-Ramsey numbers of cycles. We provide an alternative proof of ${\hat R_k}({C_n}) \le {c_k}n$, avoiding use of the regularity lemma, where ck is exponential and doubly exponential in k, when n is even and odd, respectively. In particular, we show that for sufficiently large n we have ${\hat R_2}({C_n}) \le {10^5} \times cn$, where c = 6.5 if n is even and c = 1989 otherwise.

May the triforce be the 3-uniform hypergraph on six vertices with edges {123′, 12′3, 1′23}. We show that the minimum triforce density in a 3-uniform hypergraph of edge density δ is δ4–o(1) but not O(δ4).

Let M(δ) be the maximum number such that the following holds: for every ∊ > 0 and $G = {\mathbb{F}}_2^n$ with n sufficiently large, if A ⊆ G × G with A ≥ δ|G|2, then there exists a nonzero “popular difference” d ∈ G such that the number of “corners” (x, y), (x + d, y), (x, y + d) ∈ A is at least (M(δ)–∊)|G|2. As a corollary via a recent result of Mandache, we conclude that M(δ) = δ4–o(1) and M(δ) = ω(δ4).

On the other hand, for 0 < δ < 1/2 and sufficiently large N, there exists A ⊆ [N]3 with |A| ≥ δN3 such that for every d ≠ 0, the number of corners (x, y, z), (x + d, y, z), (x, y + d, z), (x, y, z + d) ∈ A is at most δc log(1/δ)N3. A similar bound holds in higher dimensions, or for any configuration with at least 5 points or affine dimension at least 3.

Let r ⩾ 2 be a fixed constant and let $ {\cal H} $ be an r-uniform, D-regular hypergraph on N vertices. Assume further that D → ∞ as N → ∞ and that degrees of pairs of vertices in $ {\cal H} $ are at most L where L = D/( log N)ω(1). We consider the random greedy algorithm for forming a matching in $ {\cal H} $. We choose a matching at random by iteratively choosing edges uniformly at random to be in the matching and deleting all edges that share at least one vertex with a chosen edge before moving on to the next choice. This process terminates when there are no edges remaining in the graph. We show that with high probability the proportion of vertices of $ {\cal H} $ that are not saturated by the final matching is at most (L/D)(1/(2(r−1)))+o(1). This point is a natural barrier in the analysis of the random greedy hypergraph matching process.

A family of sets is said to be intersecting if any two sets in the family have non-empty intersection. In 1973, Erdős raised the problem of determining the maximum possible size of a union of r different intersecting families of k-element subsets of an n-element set, for each triple of integers (n, k, r). We make progress on this problem, proving that for any fixed integer r ⩾ 2 and for any $$k \le ({1 \over 2} - o(1))n$$, if X is an n-element set, and $${\cal F} = {\cal F}_1 \cup {\cal F}_2 \cup \cdots \cup {\cal F}_r $$, where each $$ {\cal F}_i $$ is an intersecting family of k-element subsets of X, then $$|{\cal F}| \le \left( {\matrix{n \cr k \cr } } \right) - \left( {\matrix{{n - r} \cr k \cr } } \right)$$, with equality only if $${\cal F} = \{ S \subset X:|S| = k,\;S \cap R \ne \emptyset \} $$ for some R ⊂ X with |R| = r. This is best possible up to the size of the o(1) term, and improves a 1987 result of Frankl and Füredi, who obtained the same conclusion under the stronger hypothesis $$k < (3 - \sqrt 5 )n/2$$, in the case r = 2. Our proof utilizes an isoperimetric, influence-based method recently developed by Keller and the authors.

A family of sets is intersecting if no two of its members are disjoint, and has the Erdős–Ko–Rado property (or is EKR) if each of its largest intersecting subfamilies has non-empty intersection.

Denote by ${{\cal H}_k}(n,p)$ the random family in which each k-subset of {1, …, n} is present with probability p, independent of other choices. A question first studied by Balogh, Bohman and Mubayi asks:

\begin{equation} {\rm{For what }}p = p(n,k){\rm{is}}{{\cal H}_k}(n,p){\rm{likely to be EKR}}? \end{equation}

Here, for fixed c < 1/4, and $k \lt \sqrt {cn\log n} $ we give a precise answer to this question, characterizing those sequences p = p(n, k) for which

\begin{equation} {\mathbb{P}}({{\cal H}_k}(n,p){\rm{is EKR}}{\kern 1pt} ) \to 1{\rm{as }}n \to \infty . \end{equation}

We provide a deterministic algorithm that finds, in ɛ-O(1)n2 time, an ɛ-regular Frieze–Kannan partition of a graph on n vertices. The algorithm outputs an approximation of a given graph as a weighted sum of ɛ-O(1) many complete bipartite graphs.

As a corollary, we give a deterministic algorithm for estimating the number of copies of H in an n-vertex graph G up to an additive error of at most ɛnv(H), in time ɛ-OH(1)n2.

We investigate bounds in Ramsey’s theorem for relations definable in NIP structures. Applying model-theoretic methods to finitary combinatorics, we generalize a theorem of Bukh and Matousek (Duke Mathematical Journal 163(12) (2014), 2243–2270) from the semialgebraic case to arbitrary polynomially bounded $o$-minimal expansions of $\mathbb{R}$, and show that it does not hold in $\mathbb{R}_{\exp }$. This provides a new combinatorial characterization of polynomial boundedness for $o$-minimal structures. We also prove an analog for relations definable in $P$-minimal structures, in particular for the field of the $p$-adics. Generalizing Conlon et al. (Transactions of the American Mathematical Society 366(9) (2014), 5043–5065), we show that in distal structures the upper bound for $k$-ary definable relations is given by the exponential tower of height $k-1$.

First, we prove a theorem on dynamics of actions of monoids by endomorphisms of semigroups. Second, we introduce algebraic structures suitable for formalizing infinitary Ramsey statements and prove a theorem that such statements are implied by the existence of appropriate homomorphisms between the algebraic structures. We make a connection between the two themes above, which allows us to prove some general Ramsey theorems for sequences. We give a new proof of the Furstenberg–Katznelson Ramsey theorem; in fact, we obtain a version of this theorem that is stronger than the original one. We answer in the negative a question of Lupini on possible extensions of Gowers’ Ramsey theorem.

Suppose that N is 2-coloured. Then there are infinitely many monochromatic solutions to $x+y=z^{2}$. On the other hand, there is a 3-colouring of N with only finitely many monochromatic solutions to this equation.

Motivated by the Erdős–Szekeres convex polytope conjecture in $\mathbb{R}^{d}$, we initiate the study of the following induced Ramsey problem for hypergraphs. Given integers $n>k\geqslant 5$, what is the minimum integer $g_{k}(n)$ such that any$k$-uniform hypergraph on $g_{k}(n)$ vertices with the property that any set of $k+1$ vertices induces 0, 2, or 4 edges, contains an independent set of size $n$. Our main result shows that $g_{k}(n)>2^{cn^{k-4}}$, where $c=c(k)$.

The lonely runner conjecture, now over fifty years old, concerns the following problem. On a unit-length circular track, consider $m$ runners starting at the same time and place, each runner having a different constant speed. The conjecture asserts that each runner is lonely at some point in time, meaning at a distance at least $1/m$ from the others. We formulate a function field analogue, and give a positive answer in some cases in the new setting.

A subset $A$ of a finite abelian group $G$ is called $(k,l)$-sum-free if the sum of $k$ (not necessarily distinct) elements of $A$ never equals the sum of $l$ (not necessarily distinct) elements of $A$. We find an explicit formula for the maximum size of a $(k,l)$-sum-free subset in $G$ for all $k$ and $l$ in the case when $G$ is cyclic by proving that it suffices to consider $(k,l)$-sum-free intervals in subgroups of $G$. This simplifies and extends earlier results by Hamidoune and Plagne [‘A new critical pair theorem applied to sum-free sets in abelian groups’, Comment. Math. Helv. 79(1) (2004), 183–207] and Bajnok [‘On the maximum size of a $(k,l)$-sum-free subset of an abelian group’, Int. J. Number Theory 5(6) (2009), 953–971].

Small ball inequalities have been extensively studied in the setting of Gaussian processes and associated Banach or Hilbert spaces. In this paper, we focus on studying small ball probabilities for sums or differences of independent, identically distributed random elements taking values in very general sets. Depending on the setting – abelian or non-abelian groups, or vector spaces, or Banach spaces – we provide a collection of inequalities relating different small ball probabilities that are sharp in many cases of interest. We prove these distribution-free probabilistic inequalities by showing that underlying them are inequalities of extremal combinatorial nature, related among other things to classical packing problems such as the kissing number problem. Applications are given to moment inequalities.

Denote by ${\mathcal H}_k$(n, p) the random k-graph in which each k-subset of {1,. . .,n} is present with probability p, independent of other choices. More or less answering a question of Balogh, Bohman and Mubayi, we show: there is a fixed ε > 0 such that if n = 2k + 1 and p > 1 - ε, then w.h.p. (that is, with probability tending to 1 as k → ∞), ${\mathcal H}_k$(n, p) has the ‘Erdős–Ko–Rado property’. We also mention a similar random version of Sperner's theorem.

We prove that the number of multigraphs with vertex set {1, . . ., n} such that every four vertices span at most nine edges is an2+o(n2) where a is transcendental (assuming Schanuel's conjecture from number theory). This is an easy consequence of the solution to a related problem about maximizing the product of the edge multiplicities in certain multigraphs, and appears to be the first explicit (somewhat natural) question in extremal graph theory whose solution is transcendental. These results may shed light on a question of Razborov, who asked whether there are conjectures or theorems in extremal combinatorics which cannot be proved by a certain class of finite methods that include Cauchy–Schwarz arguments.

Our proof involves a novel application of Zykov symmetrization applied to multigraphs, a rather technical progressive induction, and a straightforward use of hypergraph containers.

A set of points in d-dimensional Euclidean space is almost equidistant if, among any three points of the set, some two are at distance 1. We show that an almost-equidistant set in ℝd has cardinality O(d4/3).

The goal of property testing is to quickly distinguish between objects which satisfy a property and objects that are ε-far from satisfying the property. There are now several general results in this area which show that natural properties of combinatorial objects can be tested with ‘constant’ query complexity, depending only on ε and the property, and not on the size of the object being tested. The upper bound on the query complexity coming from the proof techniques is often enormous and impractical. It remains a major open problem if better bounds hold.

Maybe surprisingly, for testing with respect to the rectangular distance, we prove there is a universal (not depending on the property), polynomial in 1/ε query complexity bound for two-sided testing hereditary properties of sufficiently large permutations. We further give a nearly linear bound with respect to a closely related metric which also depends on the smallest forbidden subpermutation for the property. Finally, we show that several different permutation metrics of interest are related to the rectangular distance, yielding similar results for testing with respect to these metrics.

For fixed integers p and q, let f(n,p,q) denote the minimum number of colours needed to colour all of the edges of the complete graph Kn such that no clique of p vertices spans fewer than q distinct colours. Any edge-colouring with this property is known as a (p,q)-colouring. We construct an explicit (5,5)-colouring that shows that f(n,5,5) ≤ n1/3 + o(1) as n → ∞. This improves upon the best known probabilistic upper bound of O(n1/2) given by Erdős and Gyárfás, and comes close to matching the best known lower bound Ω(n1/3).