Ramsey number

noun

Any one of a certain set of numbers which are guaranteed to exist by Ramsey's theorem; a positive integer which is a certain function of some given multiset of positive integers, where that "certain function" is that which yields the minimal number guaranteed to exist by Ramsey's theorem.

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Meanings

nounRamsey number (plural Ramsey numbers)

plural Ramsey numbers

  1. combinatoricsAny one of a certain set of numbers which are guaranteed to exist by Ramsey's theorem; a positive integer which is a certain function of some given multiset of positive integers, where that "certain function" is that which yields the minimal number guaranteed to exist by Ramsey's theorem.

Origin

Named after Frank Plumpton Ramsey (1903–1930), British mathematician, philosopher and economist.

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Cite this entry
APA

Ramsey number. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ramsey%20number

MLA

“Ramsey number.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ramsey%20number. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Ramsey number,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Ramsey%20number.

Source: Ramsey number on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.