Related papers: Minimal and maximal Numbrix puzzles

We determine upper and lower bounds for the number of maximum matchings (i.e., matchings of maximum cardinality) $m(T)$ of a tree $T$ of given order. While the trees that attain the lower bound are easily characterised, the trees with…

For positive integers $n\geq k\geq t$, a collection $ \mathcal{B} $ of $k$-subsets of an $n$-set $ X $ is called a $t$-packing if every $t$-subset of $ X $ appears in at most one set in $\mathcal{B}$. In this paper, we give some upper and…

What is the maximum number of intersections of the boundaries of a simple $m$-gon and a simple $n$-gon, assuming general position? This is a basic question in combinatorial geometry, and the answer is easy if at least one of $m$ and $n$ is…

For a positive integer $m>1$, if the generalized Markoff equation $a^2+b^2+c^2=3abc+m$ has a solution triple, then it has infinitely many solutions. We show that all positive solution triples are generated by a finite set of triples that we…

Let k_r(n,m) denote the minimum number of r-cliques in graphs with n vertices and m edges. For r=3,4 we give a lower bound on k_r(n,m) that approximates k_r(n,m) with an error smaller than n^r/(n^2-2m). The solution is based on a constraint…

In recent years, many connections have been made between minimal codes, a classical object in coding theory, and other remarkable structures in finite geometry and combinatorics. One of the main problems related to minimal codes is to give…

We investigate the scattered palindromic subwords in a finite word. We start by characterizing the words with the least number of scattered palindromic subwords. Then, we give an upper bound for the total number of palindromic subwords in a…

A necklace can be considered as a cyclic list of $n$ red and $n$ blue beads in an arbitrary order, and the goal is to fold it into two and find a large cross-free matching of pairs of beads of different colors. We give a counterexample for…

In this paper, we investigate a problem concerning quartets, which are a particular type of tree on four leaves. Loosely speaking, a set of quartets is said to be `definitive' if it completely encapsulates the structure of some larger tree,…

We find a nontrivial upper bound on the average value of the function M(n) which associates to every positive integer n the minimal Hamming weight of a multiple of n. Some new results about the equation M(n)=M(n') are given.

A neat 1972 result of Pohl asserts that [3n/2]-2 comparisons are sufficient, and also necessary in the worst case, for finding both the minimum and the maximum of an n-element totally ordered set. The set is accessed via an oracle for…

We consider a range of simply stated dynamic data structure problems on strings. An update changes one symbol in the input and a query asks us to compute some function of the pattern of length $m$ and a substring of a longer text. We give…

Lower bounds for some explicit decision problems over the complex numbers are given.

Notes on the Spinpossible puzzle game. We give a mathematical description of the game, prove some elementary bounds on the length of optimal solutions, and consider variations of the game which place restrictions on the set of permitted…

An explicit upper bound is established for the least non-trivial integer zero of an arbitrary cubic form $C \in \mathbb{Z}[X_1,...,X_n],$ provided that $n \geq 14.$

Measuring the full abilities of large language models (LLMs) requires benchmarks representing multiple tasks. We aim to create large, high-quality datasets for comparison of logical reasoning skills across several languages and of suitable…

Large Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated remarkable emergent capabilities, yet the robustness of their numerical reasoning remains an open question. While standard benchmarks evaluate LLM reasoning on complex problem sets using…

In this paper we continue the investigation of finding the max/min polygons which can be inscribed in a given triangle. Here we are concerned with equilateral triangles. This may seem uninteresting or benign at first, but there are some…

Let $M$ be a perfect matching in a graph. A subset $S$ of $M$ is said to be a forcing set of $M$, if $M$ is the only perfect matching in the graph that contains $S$. The minimum size of a forcing set of $M$ is called the forcing number of…

We consider systems of "pinned balls," i.e., balls that have fixed positions and pseudo-velocities. Pseudo-velocities change according to the same rules as those for velocities of totally elastic collisions between moving balls. The times…