Conway's 99-graph problem
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In graph theory, Conway's 99-graph problem is an unsolved problem asking whether there exists an undirected graph with 99 vertices, in which each two adjacent vertices have exactly one common neighbor, and in which each two non-adjacent vertices have exactly two common neighbors. Equivalently, every edge should be part of a unique triangle and every non-adjacent pair should be one of the two diagonals of a unique 4-cycle. John Horton Conway offered a $1000 prize for its solution.[1]
If such a graph exists, it would necessarily be a locally linear graph and a strongly regular graph with parameters (99,14,1,2). The first, third, and fourth parameters encode the statement of the problem: the graph should have 99 vertices, every pair of adjacent vertices should have 1 common neighbor, and every pair of non-adjacent vertices should have 2 common neighbors. The second parameter means that the graph is a regular graph with 14 edges per vertex.[2]
If this graph exists, it cannot have symmetries that take every vertex to every other vertex.[3] Additional restrictions on its possible groups of symmetries are known.[4][5]
