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Neural Networks and Computational Learning Theory

 

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NeuroCOLT Technical Report NC-TR-95-025

The Vapnik-Chervonenkis Dimension of a Random Graph

Martin Anthony and Graham Brightwell
London School of Economics and Political Science
University of London

Colin Cooper
University of North London

Abstract
In this paper we investigate a parameter defined for any graph, known as the Vapnik-Chervonenkis dimension (or VC dimension). For any vertex $x$ of a graph $G$, the closed neighbourhood $N(x)$ of $x$ is the set of all vertices of $G$ adjacent to $x$, together with $x$. We say that a set $D$ of vertices of $G$ is shattered if every subset $R$ of $D$ can be realised as $R=D \cap N(x)$ for some vertex $x$ of $G$. The Vapnik-Chervonenkis dimension of $G$ is defined to be the largest cardinality of a shattered set of vertices. This parameter can be used to provide bounds on the complexity of a learning problem on graphs. Our main result gives, for each positive integer $d$, the exact threshold function for a random graph $G(n,p)$ to have VC~dimension $d$.

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