Odd Party Conjecture: Can You Prove or Disprove?

  • Thread starter FaustoMorales
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In summary, the conjecture states that any group with an even number of people can be divided into subgroups where each member knows an odd number of people directly within their subgroup. This can also apply to a group where each member already knows an odd number of people. The challenge is to prove this or find a counter-example. Good luck!
  • #1
FaustoMorales
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Conjecture: Consider any group with an even number of people where each member is connected to any other through some chain of people. Then the original group can be split into groups where each member knows an odd number of people directly.

Note: If the party is such that each member knows an odd number of people to begin with, then the null splitting (no splitting at all) does the job.

Can anyone prove this (or find a counter-example)? Good luck!
 
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  • #2
I think there needs to be some clarification--

Reworded:

Given: A group exists with a non-zero, even number of people. Each person in the group directly knows at least one other person within the group. Further, each person "knows" each other person in the group, either directly or indirectly (via people they know directly).

Conjecture:The group can be split into 1 or more subgroups wherein each member of a subgroup knows an odd number of people directly within that subgroup.DaveE
 
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  • #3
Thanks DaveE for your reply.

Your clear rephrasing is quite helpful.
 
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Related to Odd Party Conjecture: Can You Prove or Disprove?

1. What is the Odd Party Conjecture?

The Odd Party Conjecture is a mathematical problem that asks whether it is possible to have a party where every person is either friends with an odd number of people or enemies with an odd number of people.

2. What is the current status of the conjecture?

The conjecture has not been proven or disproven yet. It remains an open problem in mathematics.

3. What makes this conjecture difficult to prove or disprove?

One of the main challenges is that there are many possible scenarios for the relationships between party guests, making it difficult to find a general solution. Additionally, there is currently no known method for proving or disproving this type of conjecture.

4. Are there any related problems or theorems?

Yes, there are several related problems and theorems in graph theory and combinatorics. Some examples include the Friendship Theorem and the Handshaking Lemma.

5. How is this conjecture relevant to real-world applications?

While the Odd Party Conjecture may not have direct real-world applications, it is a valuable problem in mathematics that helps to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Additionally, the concepts and techniques used to approach this conjecture can be applied to other problems in graph theory and combinatorics.

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