Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2015 / ii / Paper 2 / 14I / a

The graph Ramsey number $R(s,t)$ is the least $N$ for which every graph on $N$ vertices has a clique of size $s$ or an independent set of size $t$; $R(s)=R(s,s)$ is the diagonal Ramsey number. The base cases are $R(2,t)=t$ and $R(s,2)=s$.

Assume the smaller parameters already have finite graph Ramsey numbers, and take $N=R(s-1,t)+R(s,t-1)$. For any vertex, either its neighbourhood has at least $R(s-1,t)$ vertices, or its nonneighbourhood has at least $R(s,t-1)$ vertices. In the first case it contains an independent $t$-set, or an $(s-1)$-clique which extends with the chosen vertex. In the second it contains an $s$-clique, or a $(t-1)$-independent set which extends with that vertex. Induction proves existence and