Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2006/iii/paper-14/2/solution

We use the random alteration method, controlling large hypergraph independent sets and then removing the few forbidden overlaps. Fix , let tend to infinity, and independently include each three-element subset of an -vertex set as an hypergraph edge with probability . Call the resulting three-uniform hypergraph , and let .
For any prescribed -vertex set, the probability that it is a hypergraph independent set is . Hence the union bound gives
because has order , with a positive constant depending only on .
Let count unordered pairs of distinct hypergraph edges meeting in two vertices. Each potential pair consists of its common pair and two distinct additional vertices, so
The Markov inequality implies . We may therefore fix one realization for which and no -vertex hypergraph independent set exists. For each offending hypergraph edge pair choose one vertex from its union, and let be the set of all chosen vertices. Delete , together with all incident hypergraph edges, and call the induced hypergraph . Then , so . The next two parts verify both desired properties of this same .

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