Wiki
Wiki

Research notes on every problem, and a library of the papers behind them. Built from the open erdos repository.

Updated


Source: published paper, printed p. 219, the unnumbered unit-sphere observation.

Statement

If KK is any subset of a sphere of radius one in Rn\mathbb R^n, then En→(ℓ2,K)\mathbb E^n\to(\ell_2,K). The set KK need not be finite.

Full proof

Assume there is no red unit-distance pair. If there are no red points, the whole space is blue and contains KK. Otherwise choose a red point pp. Every point of the sphere of radius one about pp is blue. Translate the sphere containing KK to that sphere; the corresponding translate of KK is blue. This proves the assertion.

This observation explains why cardinality alone cannot upper-bound the size of every configuration forced against a red unit pair. The separation and diameter conditions in the main theorem have substantive roles.

Related proof pages. theorem 1 2.

Bears on. Problem 188, Problem 214.