Abstract
According to Paul Erdős au][Some notes on Turán’s mathematical work, J. Approx. Theory 29 (1980), page 4]_it was Paul Turán who “created the area of extremal problems in graph theory”. However, without a doubt, Paul Erdős popularized extremal combinatorics, by his many contributions to the field, his numerous questions and conjectures, and his influence on discrete mathematicians in Hungary and all over the world. In fact, most of the early contributions in this field can be traced back to Paul Erdős, Paul Turán, as well as their collaborators and students. Paul Erdős also established the probabilistic method in discrete mathematics, and in collaboration with Alfréd Rényi, he started the systematic study of random graphs. We shall survey recent developments at the interface of extremal combinatorics and random graph theory.
First author was supported by NSF grant DMS 0800070.
Second author was supported through the Heisenberg-Programme of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG Grant SCHA 1263/4-1).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
N. Alon and F. R. K. Chung, Explicit construction of linear sized tolerant networks, Discrete Math., 72 (1988), no. 1–3, 15–19.
N. Alon, R. A. Duke, H. Lefmann, V. Rödl, and R. Yuster, The algorithmic aspects of the regularity lemma, J. Algorithms, 16 (1994), no. 1, 80–109.
N. Alon and J. H. Spencer, The probabilistic method, third ed., Wiley-Interscience Series in Discrete Mathematics and Optimization, John Wiley & Sons Inc., Hoboken, NJ, 2008, With an appendix on the life and work of Paul Erdős.
L. Babai, M. Simonovits, and J. Spencer, Extremal subgraphs of random graphs, J. Graph Theory, 14 (1990), no. 5, 599–622.
J. Balogh, B. Bollobás, and M. Simonovits, The number of graphs without forbidden subgraphs, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B, 91 (2004), no. 1, 1–24.
-, The typical structure of graphs without given excluded subgraphs, Random Structures Algorithms, 34 (2009), no. 3, 305–318.
-, The fine structure of octahedron-free graphs, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B, 101 (2011), no. 2, 67–84.
B. Bollobás, On complete subgraphs of different orders, Math. Proc. Cambridge Philos. Soc., 79 (1976), no. 1, 19–24.
-, Relations between sets of complete subgraphs, Proceedings of the Fifth British Combinatorial Conference (Univ. Aberdeen, Aberdeen, 1975), Congressus Numerantium, No. XV, Utilitas Math., Winnipeg, Man., 1976, pp. 79–84.
-, Extremal graph theory, London Mathematical Society Monographs, vol. 11, Academic Press Inc. [Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers], London, 1978.
-, Modern graph theory, Graduate Texts in Mathematics, vol. 184, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1998.
-, Random graphs, second ed., Cambridge Studies in Advanced Mathematics, vol. 73, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2001.
B. Bollobás and A. Thomason, Threshold functions, Combinatorica 7 (1987), no. 1, 35–38.
J. A. Bondy and U. S. R. Murty, Graph theory, Graduate Texts in Mathematics, vol. 244, Springer, New York, 2008.
G. Brightwell, K. Panagiotou, and A. Steger, Extremal subgraphs of random graphs, Random Structures Algorithms, 41 (2012), no. 2, 147–178.
W. G. Brown, P. Erdős, and V. T. Sós, Some extremal problems on r-graphs, New directions in the theory of graphs (Proc. Third Ann Arbor Conf., Univ. Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich, 1971), Academic Press, New York, 1973, pp. 53–63.
F. R. K. Chung and R. L. Graham, Sparse quasi-random graphs, Combinatorica 22 (2002), no. 2, 217–244, Special issue: Paul Erdős and his mathematics.
F. R. K. Chung, R. L. Graham, and R. M. Wilson, Quasi-random graphs, Combinatorica, 9 (1989), no. 4, 345–362.
D. Conlon, H. Hàn, Y. Person, and M. Schacht, Weak quasi-randomness for uniform hypergraphs, Random Structures Algorithms, 40 (2012), no. 1, 1–38.
D. Dellamonica, Jr. and V. Rödl, Hereditary quasirandom properties of hypergraphs, Combinatorica, 31 (2011), no. 2, 165–182.
R. Diestel, Graph theory, fourth ed., Graduate Texts in Mathematics, vol. 173, Springer, Heidelberg, 2010.
P. Erdős, On sequences of integers no one of which divides the product of two others and on some related problems, Mitt. Forsch.-Inst. Math. und Mech. Univ. Tomsk, 2 (1938), 74–82.
-, Some remarks on the theory of graphs, Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 53 (1947), 292–294.
-, Some theorems on graphs, Riveon Lematematika, 9 (1955), 13–17.
-, Graph theory and probability, Canad. J. Math., 11 (1959), 34–38.
-, On a theorem of Rademacher-Turán, Illinois J. Math. 6 (1962), 122–127.
-, On the number of complete subgraphs contained in certain graphs, Magyar Tud. Akad. Mat. Kutató Int. Közl., 7 (1962), 459–464.
-, Some recent results on extremal problems in graph theory. Results, Theory of Graphs (Internat. Sympos., Rome, 1966), Gordon and Breach, New York, 1967, pp. 117–123 (English); pp. 124–130 (French).
-, On some of my conjectures in number theory and combinatorics, Proceedings of the fourteenth Southeastern conference on combinatorics, graph theory and computing (Boca Raton, Fla., 1983), vol. 39, 1983, pp. 3–19.
P. Erdős, P. Frankl, and V. Rödl, The asymptotic number of graphs not containing a fixed subgraph and a problem for hypergraphs having no exponent, Graphs Combin., 2 (1986), no. 2, 113–121.
P. Erdős, D. J. Kleitman, and B. L. Rothschild, Asymptotic enumeration of K n-free graphs, Colloquio Internazionale sulle Teorie Combinatorie (Rome, 1973), Tomo II, Accad. Naz. Lincei, Rome, 1976, pp. 19–27. Atti dei Convegni Lincei, No. 17.
P. Erdős and A. Rényi, On random graphs. I, Publ. Math. Debrecen 6 (1959), 290–297.
P. Erdős and M. Simonovits, An extremal graph problem, Acta Math. Acad. Sci. Hungar., 22 (1971/72), 275–282.
P. Erdős and A. H. Stone, On the structure of linear graphs, Bull. Amer. Math. Soc., 52 (1946), 1087–1091.
P. Erdős and G. Szekeres, A combinatorial problem in geometry, Compositio Math., 2 (1935), 463–470.
P. Erdős and P. Turán, On some sequences of integers., J. Lond. Math. Soc., 11 (1936), 261–264.
P. Frankl and V. Rödl, Large triangle-free subgraphs in graphs without K 4, Graphs Combin., 2 (1986), no. 2, 135–144.
P. Frankl, V. Rödl, and R. M. Wilson, The number of submatrices of a given type in a Hadamard matrix and related results, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 44 (1988), no. 3, 317–328.
E. Friedgut, V. Rödl, and M. Schacht, Ramsey properties of random discrete structures, Random Structures Algorithms, 37 (2010), no. 4, 407–436.
Z. Füredi, Random Ramsey graphs for the four-cycle, Discrete Math. 126 (1994), no. 1–3, 407–410.
-, Extremal hypergraphs and combinatorial geometry, Proceedings of the International Congress of Mathematicians, Vol. 1, 2 (Zürich, 1994) (Basel), Birk-häuser, 1995, pp. 1343–1352.
St. Gerke, Random graphs with constraints, Habilitationsschrift, Institut für Informatik, Technische Universität München, 2005.
St. Gerke, Y. Kohayakawa, V. Rödl, and A. Steger, Small subsets inherit sparse ε-regularity, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B, 97 (2007), no. 1, 34–56.
St. Gerke, M. Marciniszyn, and A. Steger, A probabilistic counting lemma for complete graphs, Random Structures Algorithms, 31 (2007), no. 4, 517–534.
St. Gerke, H. J. Prömel, T. Schickinger, A. Steger, and A. Taraz, K 4-free subgraphs of random graphs revisited, Combinatorica 27 (2007), no. 3, 329–365.
St. Gerke, T. Schickinger, and A. Steger, K5-free subgraphs of random graphs, Random Structures Algorithms, 24 (2004), no. 2, 194–232.
St. Gerke and A. Steger, The sparse regularity lemma and its applications, Surveys in combinatorics 2005, London Math. Soc. Lecture Note Ser., vol. 327, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 2005, pp. 227–258.
-, A characterization for sparse ε-regular pairs, Electron. J. Combin., 14 (2007), no. 1, Research Paper 4, 12 pp. (electronic).
R. L. Graham, B. L. Rothschild, and J. H. Spencer, Ramsey theory, second ed., Wiley-Interscience Series in Discrete Mathematics and Optimization, John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York, 1990, A Wiley-Interscience Publication.
P. E. Haxell, Y. Kohayakawa, and T. Łuczak, Turán’s extremal problem in random graphs: forbidding even cycles, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B, 64 (1995), no. 2, 273–287.
-, Turán’s extremal problem in random graphs: forbidding odd cycles, Combinatorica, 16 (1996), no. 1, 107–122.
S. Janson, T. Łuczak, and A. Rucinńki, Random graphs, Wiley-Interscience Series in Discrete Mathematics and Optimization, Wiley-Interscience, New York, 2000.
N. G. Khadzhiivanov and V. S. Nikiforov, The Nordhaus-Stewart-Moon-Moser inequality, Serdica, 4 (1978), no. 4, 344–350.
-, Solution of the problem of P. Erdős on the number of triangles in graphs with n vertices and [n 2/4] + l edges, C. R. Acad. Bulgare Sci., 34 (1981), no. 7, 969–970.
Y. Kohayakawa, Szemerédi’s regularity lemma for sparse graphs, Foundations of computational mathematics (Rio de Janeiro, 1997), Springer, Berlin, 1997, pp. 216–230. MR 1661982 (99g:05145)
Y. Kohayakawa and B. Kreuter, Threshold functions for asymmetric Ramsey properties involving cycles, Random Structures Algorithms, 11 (1997), no. 3, 245–276.
Y. Kohayakawa, B. Kreuter, and A. Steger, An extremal problem for random graphs and the number of graphs with large even-girth, Combinatorica 18 (1998), no. 1, 101–120.
Y. Kohayakawa, T. Łuczak, and V. Rödl, Arithmetic progressions of length three in subsets of a random set, Acta Arith., 75 (1996), no. 2, 133–163.
-, On K 4-free subgraphs of random graphs, Combinatorica 17 (1997), no. 2, 173–213.
Y. Kohayakawa and V. Rödl, Regular pairs in sparse random graphs. I, Random Structures Algorithms, 22 (2003), no. 4, 359–434. MR 1980964 (2004b:05187)
-, Szemerédi’s regularity lemma and quasi-randomness, Recent advances in algorithms and combinatorics, CMS Books Math./Ouvrages Math. SMC, vol. 11, Springer, New York, 2003, pp. 289–351.
Y. Kohayakawa, V. Rödl, and M. Schacht, The Turán theorem for random graphs, Combin. Probab. Comput., 13 (2004), no. 1, 61–91.
Ph. G. Kolaitis, H. J. Prömel, and B. L. Rothschild, Asymptotic enumeration and a 0–1 law for m-clique free graphs, Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. (N.S.), 13 (1985), no. 2, 160–162.
-, K l+1-free graphs: asymptotic structure and a 0–1 law, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc., 303 (1987), no. 2, 637–671.
J. Komlós, A. Shokoufandeh, M. Simonovits, and E. Szemerédi, The regularity lemma and its applications in graph theory, Theoretical aspects of computer science (Tehran, 2000), Lecture Notes in Comput. Sci., vol. 2292, Springer, Berlin, 2002, pp. 84–112.
J. Komlós and M. Simonovits, Szemerédi’s regularity lemma and its applications in graph theory, Combinatorics, Paul Erdős is eighty, Vol. 2 (Keszthely, 1993), Bolyai Soc. Math. Stud., vol. 2, János Bolyai Math. Soc, Budapest, 1996, pp. 295–352.
T. Kövari, V. T. Sós, and P. Turán, On a problem of K. Zarankiewicz, Colloquium Math., 3 (1954), 50–57.
M. Krivelevich and B. Sudakov, Pseudo-random graphs, More sets, graphs and numbers, Bolyai Soc. Math. Stud., vol. 15, Springer, Berlin, 2006, pp. 199–262.
L. Lovász and M. Simonovits, On the number of complete subgraphs of a graph, Proceedings of the Fifth British Combinatorial Conference (Univ. Aberdeen, Aberdeen, 1975) (Winnipeg, Man.), Utilitas Math., 1976, pp. 431–441. Congressus Numerantium, No. XV.
-, On the number of complete subgraphs of a graph. II, Studies in pure mathematics, Birkhäuser, Basel, 1983, pp. 459–495.
T. ⌊uczak, On triangle-free random graphs, Random Structures Algorithms 16 (2000), no. 3, 260–276.
-, Randomness and regularity, International Congress of Mathematicians. Vol. III, Eur. Math. Soc., Zürich, 2006, pp. 899–909.
T. Łuczak, A. Rucinńki, and B. Voigt, Ramsey properties of random graphs, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B, 56 (1992), no. 1, 55–68.
W. Mantel, Vraagstuk XXVIII, Wiskundige Opgaven, 10 (1907), 60–61.
M. Marciniszyn, J. Skokan, R. Spöhel, and A. Steger, Asymmetric Ramsey properties of random graphs involving cliques, Random Structures Algorithms 34 (2009), no. 4, 419–453.
J. W. Moon and L. Moser, On a problem of Turán, Magyar Tud. Akad. Mat. Kutato Int. Közl., 7 (1962), 283–286.
V. Nikiforov, The number of cliques in graphs of given order and size, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc., 363 (2011), no. 3, 1599–1618.
E. A. Nordhaus and B. M. Stewart, Triangles in an ordinary graph, Canad. J. Math., 15 (1963), 33–41.
D. Osthus, H. J. Prömel, and A. Taraz, For which densities are random triangle-free graphs almost surely bipartite?, Combinatorica, 23 (2003), no. 1, 105–150, Paul Erdős and his mathematics (Budapest, 1999).
H. J. Prömel and A. Steger, The asymptotic number of graphs not containing a fixed color-critical subgraph, Combinatorica, 12 (1992), no. 4, 463–473.
-, On the asymptotic structure of sparse triangle free graphs, J. Graph Theory, 21 (1996), no. 2, 137–151.
F. P. Ramsey, On a problem informal logic, Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (2) 30 (1930), 264–286.
-, Flag algebras, J. Symbolic Logic, 72 (2007), no. 4, 1239–1282.
-, On the minimal density of triangles in graphs, Combin. Probab. Comput., 17 (2008), no. 4, 603–618.
V. Rödl, On universality of graphs with uniformly distributed edges, Discrete Math., 59 (1986), no. 1–2, 125–134.
V. Rödl and A. Rucinńki, Lower bounds on probability thresholds for Ramsey properties, Combinatorics, Paul Erdős is eighty, Vol. 1, Bolyai Soc. Math. Stud., János Bolyai Math. Soc., Budapest, 1993, pp. 317–346.
-, Random graphs with monochromatic triangles in every edge coloring, Random Structures Algorithms, 5 (1994), no. 2, 253–270.
-, Threshold functions for Ramsey properties, J. Amer. Math. Soc., 8 (1995), no. 4, 917–942.
V. Rödl and M. Schacht, Regularity lemmas for graphs, Fete of combinatorics and computer science, Bolyai Soc. Math. Stud., vol. 20, János Bolyai Math. Soc., Budapest, 2010, pp. 287–325.
I. Z. Ruzsa and E. Szemerédi, Triple systems with no six points carrying three triangles, Combinatorics (Proc. Fifth Hungarian Colloq., Keszthely, 1976), Vol. II, Colloq. Math. Soc. János Bolyai, vol. 18, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1978, pp. 939–945.
A. Shapira, Quasi-randomness and the distribution of copies of a fixed graph, Combinatorica, 28 (2008), no. 6, 735–745.
M. Simonovits, A method for solving extremal problems in graph theory, stability problems, Theory of Graphs (Proc. Colloq., Tihany, 1966), Academic Press, New York, 1968, pp. 279–319.
-, Extermal graph problems with symmetrical extremal graphs. Additional chromatic conditions, Discrete Math., 7 (1974), 349–376.
-, The extremal graph problem of the icosahedron, J. Combinatorial Theory Ser. B, 17 (1974), 69–79.
M. Simonovits and V. T. Sós, Hereditarily extended properties, quasi-random graphs and not necessarily induced subgraphs, Combinatorica 17 (1997), no. 4, 577–596.
A. Steger, On the evolution of triangle-free graphs, Combin. Probab. Comput. 14 (2005), no. 1–2, 211–224.
T. Szabó and V. H. Vu, Turán’s theorem in sparse random graphs, Random Structures Algorithms, 23 (2003), no. 3, 225–234.
E. Szemerédi, On sets of integers containing no k elements in arithmetic progression, Acta Arith., 27 (1975), 199–245, Collection of articles in memory of Juriį Vladimirovič Linnik.
-, Regular partitions of graphs, Problèmes combinatoires et théorie des graphes (Colloq. Internat. CNRS, Univ. Orsay, Orsay, 1976), Colloq. Internat. CNRS, vol. 260, CNRS, Paris, 1978, pp. 399–401.
A. Thomason, Pseudorandom graphs, Random graphs’ 85 (Poznań, 1985), North-Holland Math. Stud., vol. 144, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1987, pp. 307–331.
-, Random graphs, strongly regular graphs and pseudorandom graphs, Surveys in combinatorics 1987 (New Cross, 1987), London Math. Soc. Lecture Note Ser., vol. 123, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1987, pp. 173–195.
P. Turán, Eine Extremalaufgabe aus der Graphentheorie, Mat. Fiz. Lapok, 48 (1941), 436–452.
R. Yuster, Quasi-randomness is determined by the distribution of copies of a fixed graph in equicardinal large sets, Combinatorica, 30 (2010), no. 2, 239–246.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Additional information
Dedicated to the memory of Paul Erdős on the occasion of his 100th birthday
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 János Bolyai Mathematical Society and Springer-Verlag
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rödl, V., Schacht, M. (2013). Extremal Results in Random Graphs. In: Lovász, L., Ruzsa, I.Z., Sós, V.T. (eds) Erdős Centennial. Bolyai Society Mathematical Studies, vol 25. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39286-3_20
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39286-3_20
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-39285-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-39286-3
eBook Packages: Mathematics and StatisticsMathematics and Statistics (R0)