Problem Statement
If $\mathcal{F}$ is a finite set of finite graphs then $\mathrm{ex}(n;\mathcal{F})$ is the maximum number of edges a graph on $n$ vertices can have without containing any subgraphs from $\mathcal{F}$. Note that it is trivial that $\mathrm{ex}(n;\mathcal{F})\leq \mathrm{ex}(n;G)$ for every $G\in\mathcal{F}$.
Is it true that, for every $\mathcal{F}$, if there is a bipartite graph in $\mathcal{F}$ then there exists some bipartite $G\in\mathcal{F}$ such that\[\mathrm{ex}(n;G)\ll_{\mathcal{F}}\mathrm{ex}(n;\mathcal{F})?\]
Is it true that, for every $\mathcal{F}$, if there is a bipartite graph in $\mathcal{F}$ then there exists some bipartite $G\in\mathcal{F}$ such that\[\mathrm{ex}(n;G)\ll_{\mathcal{F}}\mathrm{ex}(n;\mathcal{F})?\]
Categories:
Graph Theory Turan Number
Progress
A problem of Erdős and Simonovits.See also [180] and the entry in the graphs problem collection.
Source: erdosproblems.com/575 | Last verified: January 15, 2026