Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-graph-theory-and-probabilistic-combinatorics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2008/a/1/d/solution
Past exam of the graph Theory and Probabilistic Combinatorics course of the University of Oxford 2008 A 1 d Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
Add adjacent to every vertex of and adjacent to every vertex of . Suppose an – separator has fewer than vertices. It cannot contain all of either class. Choose and . No edge can join the remaining two classes, since it would give a three-edge – path. Hence every neighbour of lies in , and every neighbour of lies in . The minimum-degree bound impliesa contradiction. Menger's theorem therefore gives internally vertex-disjoint – paths. Each uses at least one vertex of each original class, and only vertices are available in each class. Every path must consequently use exactly one of each. Their middle edges form a perfect matching.
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