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    Friendship Theorem

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    Varsha Prabhu
    The Friendship Theorem states that in a finite graph where any two distinct vertices share exactly one common neighbor, some vertex is adjacent to all other vertices. In other words, if every pair of people at a party shares exactly one mutual friend, then some guest is friends with everybody. The theorem was proved in 1966 and emerges naturally from linear algebra, though it is resistant to direct combinatorial proof. However, the theorem does not hold for infinite graphs.

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    Friendship Theorem

    Uploaded by

    Varsha Prabhu
    12 views1 page
    The Friendship Theorem states that in a finite graph where any two distinct vertices share exactly one common neighbor, some vertex is adjacent to all other vertices. In other words, if every pair of people at a party shares exactly one mutual friend, then some guest is friends with everybody. The theorem was proved in 1966 and emerges naturally from linear algebra, though it is resistant to direct combinatorial proof. However, the theorem does not hold for infinite graphs.

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    Proof

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    Friendship theorem

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    The Friendship Theorem states that in a finite graph where any two distinct vertices share exactly one common neighbor, some vertex is adjacent to all other vertices. In other words, if every pair of people at a party shares exactly one mutual friend, then some guest is friends with everybody. The theorem was proved in 1966 and emerges naturally from linear algebra, though it is resistant to direct combinatorial proof. However, the theorem does not hold for infinite graphs.

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    12 views1 page

    Friendship Theorem

    Uploaded by

    Varsha Prabhu
    The Friendship Theorem states that in a finite graph where any two distinct vertices share exactly one common neighbor, some vertex is adjacent to all other vertices. In other words, if every pair of people at a party shares exactly one mutual friend, then some guest is friends with everybody. The theorem was proved in 1966 and emerges naturally from linear algebra, though it is resistant to direct combinatorial proof. However, the theorem does not hold for infinite graphs.

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    of 1

    THEOREM OF THE DAY

    The Friendship Theorem In a finite graph in which any two distinct vertices share exactly one common
    neighbour some vertex is adjacent to all other vertices.
    . . . in other words, if every pair of people at
    a party shares exactly one mutual
    friend at the party then some
    guest is a friend of everybody present. More is
    is true: friendships
    must be arranged in
    triangles which intersect only in the
    universally popular
    guest. So the graphs
    satisfying the hypothesis of the theorem are those shown
    on the immediate
    right, usually
    known as
    windmill
    graphs.
    Despite
    the almost
    trivial nature
    of these graphs
    the Friendship Theorem seems surprisingly resistent to direct combinatorial proof;
    and yet it emerges from a
    few lines of linear algebra
    as though it were the most
    natural thing in the world.

    This theorem was proved by Paul Erdos,


    Alfred Renyi and Vera Sos in 1966 in
    connection with the problem of minimising
    the edge set of a graph of fixed maximum
    degree and smallest maximum distance.

    Almost more interesting than the theorem


    itself is the fact that it is false for infinite
    graphs. Start with G0 = C5 , the pentagon, as shown on the immediate left.
    Now construct Gn+1 by creating
    a new vertex adjacent to each
    pair of vertices in Gn having
    no common neighbour. If
    we repeat this indefinately the result is
    an infinite graph
    satisfying the hypothesis of the
    theorem (for any
    pair of vertices
    we have, by definition, ensured a
    common neighbour) but not the
    conclusion (since
    it is clearly not a
    windmill graph).
    The graphs G0 ,
    G1 and G2 are
    shown on the
    left; G3 is shown
    in the centre.
    A Challenge: try
    to find a formula for the
    number of vertices in Gn : it is
    100 for G3 while for G4 the number is 3695.

    Web link: the book proof is well described here: math.mit.edu/fox/MAT307-lecture20.pdf; for the
    fascinating full story see this MS Dissertation by Katie Leonard: web.pdx.edu/caughman/Katie.pdf.
    The Friendship Theorem appears as Theorem 6 near the end of the original paper: 1966-06 at
    www.renyi.hu/p erdos/Erdos.html.
    Further reading: Proofs from the Book, by Martin Aigner and Gunter M. Ziegler, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 5th Edition, 2014, chapter 43.
    Created by Robin Whitty for www.theoremoftheday.org

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