On Random Greedy Triangle Packing

Abstract

The behaviour of the random greedy algorithm for constructing a maximal packing of edge-disjoint triangles on $n$ points (a maximal partial triple system) is analysed with particular emphasis on the final number of unused edges. It is shown that this number is at most $n^{7/4+o(1)}$, "halfway" from the previous best-known upper bound $o(n^2)$ to the conjectured value $n^{3/2+o(1)}$. The more general problem of random greedy packing in hypergraphs is also considered.