Ramsey-remainder (Q1922879)

The following general question is considered: Given a positive integer \(k\), find the minimum number \(rr(k)\) such that any sufficiently large set \(S\) belonging to some class \(\mathcal S\) can be decomposed into ``regular'' sets of size at least \(k\) with a remainder set of size at most \(rr(k)\). The number \(rr(k)\) is the Ramsey-remainder. It is shown for example, that if \(\mathcal S\) is the set of all posets, and regularity refers to a poset being a chain or an antichain, then \(rr(k)=(k-1)(k-2)=r(k,k-1)\), where \(r(k,k-1)\) is the poset Ramsey number. A similar result is proved when \(\mathcal S\) is the class of all finite \(r\)-uniform complete hypergraphs the edges of which are colored by \(c\) colors and a regular hypergraph is one that is monochromatic. In this case \(rr(k)=r_{c,k}(k)-1\). Other interesting Ramsey-remainder results are investigated, in particular, when \(\mathcal S\) is the class of finite sets of points in general position in the plane and regularity refers to convexity. In this later case a sharp bound for the corresponding Ramsey-remainder number is obtained if the Erdős-Szekeres conjecture on the Ramsey number for convex sets in the plane is true.