An Improved Lower Bound for $S(7)$ and Some Interesting Templates

Abstract

In this simple paper, we exhibit a Schur partition giving rise to a triangle-free linear colouring of $K_{1697}$ in 7 colours. Thus we show that the Schur number $S(7) \ge 1696$ and the multicolour Ramsey number $R_{7}(3) \ge 1698$. We also demonstrate a specific partition of the closed integer interval $[1, 376]$ which, through repeated use of a specific construction, allows us to conclude that $S(k+5) \ge 376.S(k)+160$ for any positive integer $k$. The existence of this partition, with its specific properties, implies that $\lim_{\substack{r \rightarrow \infty}} R{_r}(3)^{1/r} > 3.273$.