Dual View Random Solved Random Open
PROVED This has been solved in the affirmative. - $250
Let $r\geq 1$ and define $T(n,r)$ to be maximal such that there exists a family $\mathcal{F}$ of subsets of $\{1,\ldots,n\}$ of size $T(n,r)$ such that $\lvert A\cap B\rvert\neq r$ for all $A,B\in \mathcal{F}$.

Estimate $T(n,r)$ for $r\geq 2$. In particular, is it true that for every $\epsilon>0$ there exists $\delta>0$ such that for all $\epsilon n<r<(1/2-\epsilon) n$ we have\[T(n,r)<(2-\delta)^n?\]
It is trivial that $T(n,0)=2^{n-1}$. Frankl and Füredi [FrFu84b] proved that, for fixed $r$ and $n$ sufficiently large in terms of $r$, the maximal $T(n,r)$ is achieved by taking\[\mathcal{F} = \left\{ A\subseteq \{1,\ldots,n\} : \lvert A\rvert> \frac{n+r}{2}\textrm{ or }\lvert A\rvert < r\right\}\]when $n+r$ is odd, and\[\mathcal{F} = \left\{ A\subseteq \{1,\ldots,n\} : \lvert A\backslash \{1\}\rvert\geq \frac{n+r}{2}\textrm{ or }\lvert A\rvert < r\right\}\]when $n+r$ is even. (Frankl [Fr77b] had earlier proved this for $r=1$ and all $n$.)

An affirmative answer to the second question implies that the chromatic number of the unit distance graph in $\mathbb{R}^n$ (with two points joined by an edge if the distance between them is $1$) grows exponentially in $n$, which was proved by alternative methods by Frankl and Wilson [FrWi81] - see [704].

The answer to the second question is yes, proved by Frankl and Rödl [FrRo87].

See also [702].

View the LaTeX source

This page was last edited 16 October 2025.

External data from the database - you can help update this
Formalised statement? No (Create a formalisation here)
Related OEIS sequences: A390645
Likes this problem None
Interested in collaborating None
Currently working on this problem None
This problem looks difficult None
This problem looks tractable None
The results on this problem could be formalisable None
I am working on formalising the results on this problem None

Additional thanks to: Mehtaab Sawhney

When referring to this problem, please use the original sources of Erdős. If you wish to acknowledge this website, the recommended citation format is:

T. F. Bloom, Erdős Problem #703, https://www.erdosproblems.com/703, accessed 2026-02-13