Giant component 2026-10-07
A giant component in a sequence of random graphs on vertices has order proportional to . Its existence can change at a threshold function for a monotone graph property. A giant component need not contain every vertex, and its uniqueness requires proof for the model in question.
A threshold function has the following meaning: if , the probability of a tends to zero; if , that probability tends to one. Behavior at a fixed constant multiple is not specified by this definition.
Let count the five-vertex subsets spanning in the Erdős-Rényi model . ThenIf , then , so Markov inequality gives .
Now let with . Then . Distinct copies have dependent indicators only if their vertex sets share at least two vertices. If they share vertices, they share edges; there are ordered such pairs, and their joint probability is . ConsequentlyPart (b) gives . ThereforeThis is the five-vertex instance of the fixed-size clique appearance threshold.