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PrintXXV OBM
Brazil counting and probability
Problem
A graph with vertices is called great if we can label each vertex with a different positive integer not exceeding and find a set of non-negative integers so that there is an edge between two vertices if and only if the difference between their labels is in . Show that if is sufficiently large we can always find a graph with vertices which is not great.
Solution
Let's count the number of ordered pairs , where is a labeling of vertices and a possible set of differences of labels of vertices joined by an edge. Note that an ordered pair determines at most one great graph, since the labeling determine the vertices and the set of differences determine the edges of the graph (we join two vertices if and only if the difference between their labels is in ), unless there is some contradiction among the differences. In the latter case determines no great graph. There are labelings and since , there are possibilities for . Thus the number of ordered pairs (and, henceforth, the number of great graphs with vertices) is not greater than . But the number of graphs with vertices is . Therefore it suffices to show that for sufficiently large Taking logarithms on both sides, which is true for sufficiently large , since log grows slower than any polynomial with degree at least 1 and positive leader coefficient (it is true, indeed, for ).
Techniques
Counting two waysPigeonhole principle