In a uniform random recursive$k$-directed acyclic graph, there is a root, 0, and each node in turn, from 1 to$n$, chooses$k$uniform random parents from among the nodes of smaller index. If$S$_{$n$}is the shortest path distance from node$n$to the root, then we determine the constant$σ$such that$S$_{$n$}/log$n$→$σ$in probability as$n$→∞. We also show that max_{1≤$i$≤$n$}$S$_{$i$}/log$n$→$σ$in probability.

General upper tail estimates are given for counting edges in a random induced subhypergraph of a fixed hypergraph ℋ, with an easy proof by estimating the moments. As an application we consider the numbers of arithmetic progressions and Schur triples in random subsets of integers. In the second part of the paper we return to the subgraph counts in random graphs and provide upper tail estimates in the rooted case.

We study the critical Ising model on the square lattice in bounded simply connected domains with + and free boundary conditions. We relate the energy density of the model to a discrete fermionic correlator and compute its scaling limit by discrete complex analysis methods. As a consequence, we obtain a simple exact formula for the scaling limit of the energy field one-point function in terms of the hyperbolic metric. This confirms the predictions originating in physics, but also provides a higher precision.