Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2025 / iii / Paper 130 / 1 / a / Solution

Ramsey's theorem for $r$-sets says that every finite coloring of $[\mathbb{N}{]}^{(r)}$ has an infinite monochromatic set. We prove it by mathematical induction on $r$. The case $r=1$ is the infinite pigeonhole principle. Suppose the result holds for $r-1$, and let $c:[\mathbb{N}{]}^{(r)}\to [k]$. Choose $a_1$, then use the induction hypothesis on the coloring $F\mapsto c(F\cup \{a_1\})$ to obtain an infinite set $M_1$ on which this color is constant, say $d_1$. Inductively chooseso that $c(F\cup \{a_j\})=d_j$ for every $F\in [M_j{]}^{(r-1)}$. Some color $d$ occurs for infinitely many $d_j$. If $j_1<j_2<\cdots$ are the corresponding indices, every $r$-set from $\{a_{j_1},a_{j_2},\dots \}$ has color $d$: take its least-indexed element $a_{j_s}$, after which its other $r-1$ elements lie in $M_{j_s}$. This proves the theorem.

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