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Unanswered Questions

3,090 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
17 votes
0 answers
501 views

Maximum automorphism group for a 3-connected cubic graph

The following arose as a side issue in a project on graph reconstruction. Problem: Let $a(n)$ be the greatest order of the automorphism group of a 3-connected cubic graph with $n$ vertices. Find a ...
17 votes
0 answers
848 views

Is there a n/2 version of the Erdős-Hanani conjecture?

This question comes out of REU research from this past summer. Unfortunately weeks of thought led to only trivial observations and the conclusion that the problem is quite hard. Fix $k,t$. Let $F$ be ...
17 votes
0 answers
540 views

Does a symplectic group act on a tensor power of a spin representation?

$\DeclareMathOperator\Spin{Spin}\DeclareMathOperator\Sp{Sp}$More specifically, let $S_k$ be the spin representation of $\Spin(2k+1)$. Then is there are action of $\Sp(2r-2)$ on $\bigotimes^{2r}S_k$ ...
17 votes
0 answers
908 views

Combinatorial identity involving the Coxeter numbers of root systems

The setup is: $R$ = irreducible (reduced) root system; $D$ = connected Dynkin diagram of $R$, with nodes numbered $1,2,...,r$; $\hat D$ = extended Dynkin diagram, nodes numbered $0,1,2,...,r$; $\...
16 votes
0 answers
549 views

Identity involving Schur polynomials, binomial coefficients and contents of partition

Let $C_{\lambda,\mu}$ be the coefficients defined as $$ s_\lambda\left(\frac{x_1}{1-x_1},...,\frac{x_N}{1-x_N}\right)=\sum_{\mu\supset \lambda}C_{\lambda\mu}s_\mu(x_1,...,x_N),$$ where $s$ are the ...
16 votes
0 answers
361 views

Combinatorial characterization of intersecting intervals in the plane

Consider $n$ points $A=\{A_1,\dotsc,A_n\}$, and another set of points, $B=\{B_1,\dotsc,B_n\}$ in the plane. We can assume they are all disjoint. For each permutation $\pi$, consider the collection of ...
16 votes
0 answers
967 views

A Combinatorial Game: the Snake and the Hunter

The Snake and the Hunter is a game for two players who play in two rounds interchanging the roles of snake and hunter. The game is played in a rectangular grid of points, say $6 \times 6$. In both ...
16 votes
0 answers
294 views

Realization spaces of 3-dimensional polytopes with fixed face areas

It is a well-know result (Steinitz, 1922) that the realization space of 3-dimensional convex polytopes with fixed combinatorics is contractible. A proof of this theorem can be found for instance in ...
16 votes
0 answers
453 views

A Product Related to Unrestricted Partitions

Start with the product for unrestricted partitions: $(1+x+x^2+...)(1+x^2+x^4+...)(1+x^3+x^6+...)...$ Now replace some of the plus signs with minus signs and expand the product into a series. Is it ...
16 votes
0 answers
773 views

How to explain the picturesque patterns in François Brunault's matrix?

How to explain the patterns in the matrix defined in François Brunault's answer to the question Freeness of a Z[x] module depicted below? -- Choosing colors according to the highest power of 2 which ...
16 votes
0 answers
446 views

Splay trees and Thompson's group $F$

( I apologize for only indicating some easy to find references, but new users are not allowed to link more than five). This is very speculative, but: Question: Is there a reformulation of the Dynamic ...
16 votes
0 answers
813 views

Capelli determinant = Duflo ( determinant) - was it known ?

Question briefly. Was this fact known: Capelli determinant = Duflo (determinant) ? (This is an equality of the two central elements in universal enveloping of Lie algebra $gl_n$). I googled a lot ...
16 votes
0 answers
549 views

Catalan objects associated to a univariate polynomial

Given a monic degree $n$ polynomial $f(z)$ with no double roots, and a phase $0\leq \theta < \pi$, there are natural constructions which associate to this data: a noncrossing matching on $2n$ ...
16 votes
0 answers
906 views

Polynomials with presumably positive coefficients

After seeing that some positivity problems get their solutions on MO, I am quite enthusiastic of posing my (and not only) problem of positive flavour. In order to state it, I have to introduce the ...
16 votes
0 answers
1k views

Optimal monotone families for the discrete isoperimetric inequality

Background: the discrete isoperimetric inequality Start with a set $X=\{1,2,...,n\}$ of $n$ elements and the family $2^X$ of all subsets of $X$. For a real number $p$ between zero and one, we consider ...

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