Related papers: On solution-free sets of integers

We consider the problem of determining the maximum cardinality of a subset containing no arithmetic progressions of length $k$ in a given set of size $n$. It is proved that it is sufficient, in a certain sense, to consider the interval…

A subset of a group is product-free if it does not contain elements a, b, c such that ab = c. We review progress on the problem of determining the size of the largest product-free subset of an arbitrary finite group, including a lower bound…

Let $f(n,\ell)$ be the maximum integer such that every set of $n$ points in the plane with at most $\ell$ collinear contains a subset of $f(n,\ell)$ points with no three collinear. First we prove that if $\ell \leq O(\sqrt{n})$ then…

A tri-colored sum-free set in an abelian group $H$ is a collection of ordered triples in $H^3$, $\{(a_i,b_i,c_i)\}_{i=1}^m$, such that the equation $a_i+b_j+c_k=0$ holds if and only if $i=j=k$. Using a variant of the lemma introduced by…

Answering a question of P. Erdos from 1965, we show that for every eps>0 there is a set A of n integers with the following property: every subset A' of A with at least (1/3 + eps)n elements contains three distinct elements x,y,z with x + y…

A finite subset $A$ of an abelian group $G$ is said to be zero-free if the identity element of $G$ cannot be written as a sum of distinct elements from $A$. In this article we study the structure of zero-free subsets of $Z/pZ$ the…

Let $V$ denote an $r$-dimensional $\mathbb{F}_{q^n}$-vector space. For an $m$-dimensional $\mathbb{F}_q$-subspace $U$ of $V$ assume that $\dim_q \left(\langle {\bf v}\rangle_{\mathbb{F}_{q^n}} \cap U\right) \geq 2$ for each non zero vector…

Given a finite family F of linear forms with integer coefficients, and a compact abelian group G, an F-free set in G is a measurable set which does not contain solutions to any equation L(x)=0 for L in F. We denote by d_F(G) the supremum of…

In this paper we highlight a few open problems concerning maximal sum-free sets in abelian groups. In addition, for most even order abelian groups $G$ we asymptotically determine the number of maximal distinct sum-free subsets in $G$. Our…

In this paper we rectify two previous results found in the literature. Our work leads to a new upper bound for the largest sum-free subset of $[1,n]$ with lowest value in $\left [\frac{n}{3},\frac{n}{2}\right ]$, and the identification of…

It is well-known that for a prime $p\equiv 2\pmod 3$ and integer $n\ge 1$, the maximum possible size of a sum-free subset of the elementary abelian group $\mathbb Z_p^n$ is $\frac13\,(p+1)p^{n-1}$. We establish a matching stability result…

We extend the concepts of sum-free sets and Sidon-sets of combinatorial number theory with the aim to provide explicit constructions for spherical designs. We call a subset $S$ of the (additive) abelian group $G$ {\it $t$-free} if for all…

A Nikodym set $\mathcal{N}\subseteq(\mathbb{Z}/(N\mathbb{Z}))^n$ is a set containing $L\setminus\{x\}$ for every $x\in(\mathbb{Z}/(N\mathbb{Z}))^n$, where $L$ is a line passing through $x$. We prove that if $N$ is square-free, then the size…

There has been interest recently in maximizing the number of independent sets in graphs. For example, the Kahn-Zhao theorem gives an upper bound on the number of independent sets in a $d$-regular graph. Similarly, it is a corollary of the…

We provide upper bounds on the largest subsets of $\{1,2,\dots,N\}$ with no differences of the form $h_1(n_1)+\cdots+h_{\ell}(n_{\ell})$ with $n_i\in \mathbb{N}$ or $h_1(p_1)+\cdots+h_{\ell}(p_{\ell})$ with $p_i$ prime, where $h_i\in…

In the area of forbidden subposet problems we look for the largest possible size $La(n,P)$ of a family $\mathcal{F}\subseteq 2^{[n]}$ that does not contain a forbidden inclusion pattern described by $P$. The main conjecture of the area…

A convex set with nonempty interior is maximal lattice-free if it is inclusion-maximal with respect to the property of not containing integer points in its interior. Maximal lattice-free convex sets are known to be polyhedra. The precision…

Let $q$ be a Pisot or Salem number. Let $f_j(x)$ $(j=1,2,\dots)$ be integer-valued polynomials of degree $\ge2$ with positive leading coefficients, and let $\{a_j (n)\}_{n\ge1}$ $(j=1,2,\dots)$ be sequences of algebraic integers in the…

We determine the largest subset $A\subseteq \{1,\dotsc,n\}$ such that for all $a,b\in A$, the product $ab$ is not squarefree. Specifically, the maximum size is achieved by the complement of the odd squarefree numbers. This resolves a…

Two subsets $A$ and $B$ of a ground set $X$ are \emph{crossing} if none of the four sets $A\setminus B,B\setminus A,A\cap B, X\setminus (A\cup B)$ are empty. Almost fifty years ago, Karzanov and Lomonosov conjectured that every family of…