Related papers: On the maximum size of minimal definitive quartet …

We show that for every sufficiently large $n$, the number of monotone subsequences of length four in a permutation on $n$ points is at least $\binom{\lfloor n/3 \rfloor}{4} + \binom{\lfloor(n+1)/3\rfloor}{4} + \binom{\lfloor…

In this entry point into the subject, combining two elementary proofs, we decrease the gap between the upper and lower bounds by $0.2\%$ in a classical combinatorial number theory problem. We show that the maximum size of a Sidon set of $\{…

Upper bounds to the size of a family of subsets of an n-element set that avoids certain configurations are proved. These forbidden configurations can be described by inclusion patterns and some sets having the same size. Our results are…

This paper discusses the question of how many non-empty subsets of the set $[n] = \{ 1, 2, ..., n\}$ we can choose so that no chosen subset is the union of some other chosen subsets. Let $M(n)$ be the maximum number of subsets we can…

All matrices we consider have entries in a fixed algebraically closed field $K$. A minor of a square matrix is principal means it is defined by the same row and column indices. We study the ideal generated by size $t$ principal minors of a…

Two words have a reverse if they have the same pair of distinct letters on the same pair of positions, but in reversed order. A set of words no two of which have a reverse is said to be reverse-free. Let F(n,k) be the maximum size of a…

If $D$ is a partially filled-in $(0,1)$-matrix with a unique completion to a $(0,1)$-matrix $M$ (with prescribed row and column sums), we say that $D$ is a {\em defining set} for $M$. A {\em critical set} is a minimal defining set (the…

A Kakeya set is a subset of F^n, where F is a finite field of q elements, that contains a line in every direction. In this paper we show that the size of every Kakeya set is at least C_n * q^n, where C_n depends only on n. This improves the…

Minimum Bisection denotes the NP-hard problem to partition the vertex set of a graph into two sets of equal sizes while minimizing the width of the bisection, which is defined as the number of edges between these two sets. We first consider…

Given a set of n data objects and their pairwise dissimilarities, the goal of the minimum quartet tree cost (MQTC) problem is to construct an optimal tree from the total number of possible combinations of quartet topologies on n, where…

The polygon $P$ is small if its diameter equals one. When $n=2^s$, it is still an open problem to find the maximum perimeter or the maximum width of a small $n$-gon. Motivated by Bingane's series of works, we improve the lower bounds for…

We prove that the maximum determinant of an $n \times n $ matrix, with entries in $\{0,1\}$ and at most $n+k$ non-zero entries, is at most $2^{k/3}$, which is best possible when $k$ is a multiple of 3. This result solves a conjecture of…

Let $X$ be a finite set. We give criterion to say if a system of trees ${\cal P}=\{T_i\}_i$ with leaf sets $L(T_i) \in {X \choose 5}$ can be amalgamated into a supertree, that is, if there exists a tree $T$ with $L(T)=X$ such that $T$…

A family of $k$-element subsets of an $n$-element set is called 3-wise intersecting if any three members in the family have non-empty intersection. We determine the maximum size of such families exactly or asymptotically. One of our results…

A family $\mathcal{F}$ of subsets of $[n]=\{1,2,\ldots,n\}$ shatters a set $A \subseteq [n]$ if for every $A' \subseteq A$ there is an $F \in \mathcal{F}$ such that $F \cap A=A'$. We develop a framework to analyze $f(n,k,d)$, the maximum…

We give a counterexample to the conjecture of Martin and Thatte that two balanced rooted binary leaf-labelled trees on $n$ leaves have a maximum agreement subtree (MAST) of size at least $n^{\frac{1}{2}}$. In particular, we show that for…

We study the smallest possible number of points in a topological space having k open sets. Equivalently, this is the smallest possible number of elements in a poset having k order ideals. Using efficient algorithms for constructing a…

A recurring theme in finite group theory is understanding how the structure of a finite group is determined by the arithmetic properties of group invariants. There are results in the literature determining the structure of finite groups…

We characterize the downsets of integer partitions (ordered by containment of Ferrers diagrams) and compositions (ordered by the generalized subword order) which have finite dimension in the sense of Dushnik and Miller. In the case of…

Imagine we want to split a group of agents into teams in the most \emph{efficient} way, considering that each agent has their own preferences about their teammates. This scenario is modeled by the extensively studied \textsc{Coalition…