Source. Theorem 12, printed p. 348, physical p. 8 of the
published paper.
Let Lk be the configuration of k collinear points separated
successively by unit distance. For every integer n≥1,
R(L3,n,4),R(L4,n,3),R(L6,n,2)are false.(1)
Avoiding L3 with four colors
Color x∈Rn by
⌊∣x∣2⌋(mod4).(2)
Suppose x−u,x,x+u, where ∣u∣=1, had the same color. Put
t−=∣x−u∣2, t0=∣x∣2, and t+=∣x+u∣2. Then
t++t−−2t0=2.(3)
Write tσ=4kσ+r+θσ, with a common
r∈{0,1,2,3} and 0≤θσ<1. Equation (3) would give
2=4(k++k−−2k0)+θ++θ−−2θ0.(4)
The final term lies strictly between −2 and 2. If the integer in
parentheses is 0, it would have to equal 2; if it is 1, it would have
to equal −2; every other value is farther outside the interval. This is
impossible, so (2) contains no monochromatic L3.
Avoiding L4 with three colors
Color x∈Rn by
⌊2∣x∣2⌋(mod3).(5)
Suppose x+iu, 1≤i≤4, with ∣u∣=1, had the same color. Put
yi=2∣x+iu∣2 and let fi=yi−⌊yi⌋∈[0,1). The quadratic
sequence yi satisfies
y1+y3=2y2+4,y2+y4=2y3+4.(6)
All four integer parts are congruent modulo 3. On separating integer and
fractional parts in the first equation, one gets
4=3M+f1+f3−2f2
for an integer M. Since the fractional expression lies strictly between
−2 and 2, necessarily M=1, and hence
f1+f3−2f2=1.(7)
The second equation similarly gives
f2+f4−2f3=1.(8)
Adding (7) and (8) yields
f1+f4=f2+f3+2,
whose left side is strictly below 2 while its right side is at least 2.
Thus (5) contains no monochromatic L4.
Avoiding L6 with two colors
Color x∈Rn by the parity of
⌊6∣x∣2⌋.(9)
Suppose x+iu, 1≤i≤6, with ∣u∣=1, had the same color, and set
ai=6∣x+iu∣2.
Then
ai+1+ai−1=2ai+31(2≤i≤5),(10)
and all ⌊ai⌋ have the same parity. Put
bi=ai+(i−4)⌊a3⌋+(3−i)⌊a4⌋.(11)
Adding an integer affine function of i preserves (10) and every
fractional part. Moreover,
0≤b3,b4<1,
and every ⌊bi⌋ is even, since modulo 2 the three
coefficients in (11) sum to
1+(i−4)+(3−i)=0.
The first two recurrences give
b2=2b3−b4+31,b5=2b4−b3+31.(12)
Thus −2/3<b2,b5<7/3. Their even integer parts imply
b2,b5∈[0,1)∪[2,7/3).(13)
But (12) also gives
2b2+b5=3b3+1,b2+2b5=3b4+1.(14)
If b2≥2, the first left side is at least 4 while its right side is
strictly below 4; the second identity rules out b5≥2 in the same way.
Hence b2,b5∈[0,1).
The remaining recurrences give
b1=2b2−b3+31,b6=2b5−b4+31.(15)
Again −2/3<b1,b6<7/3, so their even integer parts put them in the union
in (13). The identities
2b1+b4=3b2+1,b3+2b6=3b5+1(16)
then exclude the second interval, just as in (14). Therefore every
bi lies in [0,1). Finally, the quadratic sequence satisfies
b1+b6=b3+b4+2.(17)
The left side of (17) is strictly below 2, while the right side is at
least 2, a contradiction. Thus (9) contains no monochromatic L6, and
all three assertions in (1) follow.