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Pattern Anatomy

Each pattern, deconstructed.

constraint-graph-coloring

Rank 19/19 0.2% of all AMC problems Grade 5–8

Vertices (pods, children, slots) are assigned distinct labels from a small finite set so that every connected/related pair satisfies a pairwise constraint — labels differ by at least k, labels match on at least one attribute, or labels are forbidden to clash. Key move: rank vertices by degree (or by number of incident constraints) and force the most constrained vertices first; high-degree vertices are pinned to extreme labels because their neighbors must fit in a shrunken pool. Then propagate by elimination and check the residual assignment against the remaining constraints.

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27-year frequency
1999–2026
2026 forecast slots

How to solve

Primary tools organizefind-patternssimplify
What to look for
  • Replace diff ≥ 2 with diff ≥ 3 on the same pod graph — fewer valid assignments, hubs get more extreme
  • Swap the trait table: change which attributes overlap to flip which pair is forced as siblings
  • Add or remove one edge to make the same target vertex either over- or under-constrained

Sub-archetype mix (2)

Click a row to see member problems.

  • degree-driven-extreme-pinning 50% (1)

    Each vertex has a numeric label from a contiguous range and connected labels must differ by at least k. The highest-degree vertices are forced to the extreme labels (min and max of the range) because their forbidden neighborhood (label ± k) is too large to absorb their neighbors. Then propagate by elimination.

  • shared-attribute-partition 50% (1)

    Items carry one or more discrete attributes and must be split into groups where every within-group pair shares at least one attribute. Identify which pairs are compatible (share ≥ 1 attribute), then build groups as cliques in the compatibility graph; size constraints force the answer.

More data (year-over-year, tool fingerprint, grade distribution, all members)
2
members
1999–2026
Active years
Year-over-year

Tool fingerprint (1–17)

Grade distribution

  • Gr 1
    1
  • Gr 6
    1