Related papers: Martin Gardner's minimum no-3-in-a-line problem

Let RD(n) denote the minimum d for which there exists a formula for the roots of the general degree n polynomial using only algebraic functions of d or fewer variables. In 1927, Hilbert sketched how the 27 lines on a cubic surface could be…

Define $|n|$ to be the complexity of $n$, the smallest number of 1's needed to write $n$ using an arbitrary combination of addition and multiplication. John Selfridge showed that $|n|\ge 3\log_3 n$ for all $n$. Define the defect of $n$,…

A 1-plane graph is a graph together with a drawing in the plane in such a way that each edge is crossed at most once. A 1-plane graph is maximal if no edge can be added without violating either 1-planarity or simplicity. Let $m(n)$ denote…

For $n$ and $k$ integers we introduce the notion of some partition of $n$ being able to generate another partition of $n$. We solve the problem of finding the minimum size partition for which the set of partitions this partition can…

In response to the Numberphile video regarding the Mondrian Puzzle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49KvZrioFB0, we provide a lower bound on how many integers less than a given threshold $x$ satisfy $M(n) \neq 0$ where $M(n)$ is the quantity…

Given an equation, the integers $[n] = \{1, 2, \dots, n\}$ as inputs, and the colors red and blue, how can we color $[n]$ in order to minimize the number of monochromatic solutions to the equation, and what is the minimum? The answer is…

Consider a graph with n nodes and m edges, independent edge weights and lengths, and arbitrary distance demands for node pairs. The spanner problem asks for a minimum-weight subgraph that satisfies these demands via sufficiently short paths…

Gordon introduced a class of matroids $M(n)$, for prime $n\ge 2$, such that $M(n)$ is algebraically representable, but only in characteristic $n$. Lindstr\"om proved that $M(n)$ for general $n\ge 2$ is not algebraically representable if…

The components of the graphs $D(n, q)$ provide the best-known general lower bound for the number of edges in a graph with $n$ vertices and no cycles of length less than $g$. In this paper, we give a new, short, and simpler proof of the fact…

The well known algorithm of Volker Strassen for matrix multiplication can only be used for $(m2^k \times m2^k)$ matrices. For arbitrary $(n \times n)$ matrices one has to add zero rows and columns to the given matrices to use Strassen's…

We consider the nonlinear integer programming problem of minimizing a quadratic function over the integer points in variable dimension satisfying a system of linear inequalities. We show that when the Graver basis of the matrix defining the…

Given a set $P$ of $n$ points in the plane, its separability is the minimum number of lines needed to separate all its pairs of points from each other. We show that the minimum number of lines needed to separate $n$ points, picked randomly…

The Ramsey number r(K_3,Q_n) is the smallest integer N such that every red-blue colouring of the edges of the complete graph K_N contains either a red n-dimensional hypercube, or a blue triangle. Almost thirty years ago, Burr and Erd\H{o}s…

Let $S$ be a set of $n$ points in $\mathbb{R}^3$, no three collinear and not all coplanar. If at most $n-k$ are coplanar and $n$ is sufficiently large, the total number of planes determined is at least $1 + k…

In this note I give simple proofs of classical results of Euler, Legendre and Sylvester showing that for certain integers M there are no (or only a few) solutions of $x^3 + y^3 = M$, with $x$ and $y$ in $\mathbb{Q}$. The proofs all use a…

In a recent paper, Jin, Liu, and Xia \cite{JLX} presented some modulo 4 congruences for $\overline{spt2}(n)$, the number of smallest parts in the overpartitions of $n$ where the smallest part is even and is not overlined. In this paper, we…

A king invites n couples to sit around a round table with 2n+1 seats. For each couple, the king decides a prescribed distance d between 1 and n which the two spouses have to be seated from each other (distance d means that they are…

We consider the problem of sorting elements on a series of stacks, introduced by Tarjan and Knuth. We improve the asymptotic lower bound for the number of stacks necessary to sort $n$ elements to $0.561 \log_2 n + O(1)$. This is the first…

Erd\H{o}s and Guy initiated a line of research studying $\mu_k(n)$, the minimum number of convex $k$-gons one can obtain by placing $n$ points in the plane without any three of them being collinear. Asymptotically, the limits $c_k :=…

The minrank of a graph $G$ on the set of vertices $[n]$ over a field $\mathbb{F}$ is the minimum possible rank of a matrix $M\in\mathbb{F}^{n\times n}$ with nonzero diagonal entries such that $M_{i,j}=0$ whenever $i$ and $j$ are distinct…