Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/ii/paper-1/17f/i/solution

Hall's marriage theorem states that a finite bipartite graph with parts has a matching in a graph saturating exactly when for every . Necessity follows because the matched neighbours of are distinct.
For sufficiency use induction on . The empty case is immediate. If a nonempty proper subset has , the induced graph on satisfies Hall's condition and has a saturating matching in a graph by induction. The remaining graph on also satisfies it: for ,
Apply induction again and unite the two matchings in a graph. If there is no such tight proper subset, every nonempty proper has . Choose a vertex and a neighbour , which exists by Hall's condition. Delete both. Every remaining subset loses at most one neighbour and still satisfies Hall's condition. Induction supplies a matching in a graph of the remainder; add . For this last step directly proves the assertion.

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