Maths WorkshopMaths problems with full solutions
Exercise 2138Combinatorics › Graph theoryM1Added 3 Nov 2026

Erdős–Gyárfás conjecture (statement)

#Erdős-Gyárfás#conjecture#cycles

Statement

State the Erdős–Gyárfás conjecture.

Hint

Every cubic graph has a cycle of length a power of 22.

Show solutionHide solution

Solution

Conjecture (1995). Every graph with minimum degree ≥3\ge3 contains a cycle whose length is a power of 22.

Partial results. Verified for planar graphs, bipartite graphs, and large graphs.

Conclusion. It remains open and is a classic problem in extremal graph theory.