Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-graph-theory-and-probabilistic-combinatorics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2009/a/2/d/solution

For the complete graph, whenever .
Use induction on the number of vertices, and for fixed on the number of missing edges. If is not complete, choose a missing edge and put . The recurrence rearranges as
The first term is positive by the missing-edge induction. The second graph has vertices, so the vertex induction makes its polynomial positive for , in particular for the present range. The one-vertex base case is . Thus for all , including noninteger ; counting colorings alone would not establish that real-variable claim.

New to topics? Read the docs here!