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Problem #560: Let $\hat{R}(G)$ denote the size Ramsey number, the minimal...

Let $\hat{R}(G)$ denote the size Ramsey number, the minimal number of edges $m$ such that there is a graph $H$ with $m$ edges such that in any...

Problem Statement

Let $\hat{R}(G)$ denote the size Ramsey number, the minimal number of edges $m$ such that there is a graph $H$ with $m$ edges such that in any $2$-colouring of the edges of $H$ there is a monochromatic copy of $G$.

Determine\[\hat{R}(K_{n,n}),\]where $K_{n,n}$ is the complete bipartite graph with $n$ vertices in each component.
Categories: Graph Theory Ramsey Theory

Progress

We know that\[\frac{1}{60}n^22^n<\hat{R}(K_{n,n})< \frac{3}{2}n^32^n.\]The lower bound (which holds for $n\geq 6$) was proved by Erdős and Rousseau [ErRo93]. The upper bound was proved by Erdős, Faudree, Rousseau, and Schelp [EFRS78b] and Nešetřil and Rödl [NeRo78].

Conlon, Fox, and Wigderson [CFW23] have proved that, for any $s\leq t$,\[\hat{R}(K_{s,t})\gg s^{2-\frac{s}{t}}t2^s,\]and prove that when $t\gg s\log s$ we have $\hat{R}(K_{s,t})\asymp s^2t2^s$. They conjecture that this should hold for all $s\leq t$, and so in particular we should have $\hat{R}(K_{n,n})\asymp n^32^n$.

See also the entry in the graphs problem collection.

Source: erdosproblems.com/560 | Last verified: January 15, 2026

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