Problem

Source: IMO LongList 1979 - P15

Tags: graph theory, number theory, maximization, Extremal Graph Theory, Extremal combinatorics, IMO Shortlist, IMO Longlist



Let $n \geq 2$ be an integer. Find the maximal cardinality of a set $M$ of pairs $(j, k)$ of integers, $1 \leq j < k \leq n$, with the following property: If $(j, k) \in M$, then $(k,m) \not \in M$ for any $m.$