A family of vectors in [k]n is said to be intersecting if any two of its elements agree on at least one coordinate. We prove, for fixed k ≥ 3, that the size of any intersecting subfamily of [k]n invariant under a transitive group of symmetries is o(kn), which is in stark contrast to the case of the Boolean hypercube (where k = 2). Our main contribution addresses limitations of existing technology: while there are now methods, first appearing in work of Ellis and the third author, for using spectral machinery to tackle problems in extremal set theory involving symmetry, this machinery relies crucially on the interplay between up-sets, biased product measures, and threshold behaviour in the Boolean hypercube, features that are notably absent in the problem considered here. To circumvent these barriers, introducing ideas that seem of independent interest, we develop a variant of the sharp threshold machinery that applies at the level of products of posets.

An old conjecture of Z. Tuza says that for any graph G, the ratio of the minimum size, τ3(G), of a set of edges meeting all triangles to the maximum size, ν3(G), of an edge-disjoint triangle packing is at most 2. Here, disproving a conjecture of R. Yuster, we show that for any fixed, positive α there are arbitrarily large graphs G of positive density satisfying τ3(G) > (1 − o(1))|G|/2 and ν3(G) < (1 + α)|G|/4.

Let be a set of terms over an arbitrary (but finite) number of Boolean variables. Let U() be the set of truth assignments that satisfy exactly one term in . Motivated by questions in computational complexity, Rudich conjectured that there exist ∊, δ > 0 such that, if is any set of terms for which U() contains at least a (1−∊)-fraction of all truth assignments, then there exists a term t ∈ such that at least a δ-fraction of assignments satisfy some term of sharing a variable with t [8].

We prove a stronger version: for any independent assignment of the variables (not necessarily the uniform one), if the measure of U() is at least 1 − ∊, there exists a t ∈ such that the measure of the set of assignments satisfying either t or some term incompatible with t (i.e., having no satisfying assignments in common with t) is at least . (A key part of the proof is a correlation-like inequality on events in a finite product probability space that is in some sense dual to Reimer's inequality [11], a.k.a. the BKR inequality [5], or the van den Berg–Kesten conjecture [3].)

We consider relations between thresholds for monotone set properties and simple lower bounds for such thresholds. A motivating example (Conjecture 2): Given an n-vertex graph H, write pE for the least p such that, for each subgraph H' of H, the expected number of copies of H' in G=G(n, p) is at least 1, and pc for that p for which the probability that G contains (a copy of) H is 1/2. Then (conjecture) pc=O(pElog n). Possible connections with discrete isoperimetry are also discussed.

Let $P(n)$ and $C(n)$ denote, respectively, the maximum possible numbers of Hamiltonian paths and Hamiltonian cycles in a tournament on n vertices. The study of $P(n)$ was suggested by Szele [14], who showed in an early application of the probabilistic method that $P(n) \geq n!2^{-n+1}$, and conjectured that $\lim ( {P(n)}/ {n!} )^{1/n}= 1/2.$ This was proved by Alon [2], who observed that the conjecture follows from a suitable bound on $C(n)$, and showed $C(n) <O(n^{3/2}(n-1)!2^{-n}).$ Here we improve this to $C(n)<O\big(n^{3/2-\xi}(n-1)!2^{-n}\big),$ with $\xi = 0.2507$… Our approach is mainly based on entropy considerations.

It is shown that the hard-core model on ${{\mathbb Z}}^d$ exhibits a phase transition at activities above some function $\lambda(d)$ which tends to zero as $d\rightarrow \infty$. More precisely, consider the usual nearest neighbour graph on ${{\mathbb Z}}^d$, and write ${\cal E}$ and ${\cal O}$ for the sets of even and odd vertices (defined in the obvious way). Set $${\cal G}L_M={\cal G}L_M^d =\{z\in{{\mathbb Z}}^d:\|z\|_{\infty}\leq M\},\quad \partial^{\star} {\cal G}L_M =\{z\in{{\mathbb Z}}^d:\|z\|_{\infty}= M\},$$ and write ${\cal I}({\cal G}L_M)$ for the collection of independent sets (sets of vertices spanning no edges) in ${\cal G}L_M$. For $\lambda>0$ let ${\bf I}$ be chosen from ${\cal I}({\cal G}L_M)$ with $\Pr({\bf I}=I) \propto \lambda^{|I|}$.

TheoremThere is a constant$C$such that if$\lambda > Cd^{-1/4}\log^{3/4}d$, then$$\lim_{M\rightarrow\infty}\Pr(\underline{0}\in{\bf I}|{\bf I}\supseteq \partial^{\star} {\cal G}L_M\cap {\cal E})~> \lim_{M\rightarrow\infty}\Pr(\underline{0}\in{\bf I}| {\bf I}\supseteq \partial^{\star} {\cal G}L_M\cap {\cal O}).$$ Thus, roughly speaking, the influence of the boundary on behaviour at the origin persists as the boundary recedes.

We use entropy ideas to study hard-core distributions on the independent sets of a finite, regular bipartite graph, specifically distributions according to which each independent set I is chosen with probability proportional to λ[mid ]I[mid ] for some fixed λ > 0. Among the results obtained are rather precise bounds on occupation probabilities; a ‘phase transition’ statement for Hamming cubes; and an exact upper bound on the number of independent sets in an n-regular bipartite graph on a given number of vertices.

Fix q and let Mn be an n × n matrix with entries drawn independently from the finite field Fq according to some distribution μn. It is shown that, except in certain pathological cases, the probability that Mn is nonsingular is asymptotically the same as for uniform entries; that is,

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