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Source. Example 2, arXiv:2607.28387v2, PDF p. 3; proof in Section 5, pp. 27--28. Preprint; see the card for the acceptance record.

Statement

Example 2 (p. 3). The number

θ=∑n=1∞12n!=12+14+164+⋯\theta=\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac1{2^{n!}}=\frac12+\frac14+\frac1{64}+\cdots

is a Liouville number, hence irrational, and for every n≥1n\ge1 it has a unique best nn-term Egyptian underapproximation, namely its nn-term greedy underapproximation, in both the nondecreasing and the strictly increasing denominator conventions. In the card's notation, Rn≤(θ)=Rn<(θ)=∑j≤n2−j!R_n^{\le}(\theta)=R_n^{<}(\theta)=\sum_{j\le n}2^{-j!} for every n≥1n\ge1 (5.2 and p. 28), with the tuple (21!,…,2n!)(2^{1!},\ldots,2^{n!}) the only maximizer.

The paper offers it as an affirmative answer to Nathanson's Open problem (1), which asked whether some irrational number has greedy underapproximations that are uniquely best for every number of terms (p. 3).

Proof pointer

With bn=2n!b_n=2^{n!}, Sn=∑j≤n1/bjS_n=\sum_{j\le n}1/b_j and τn=θ−Sn\tau_n=\theta-S_n, the reduced denominator of SnS_n is bnb_n, and the tail satisfies τn<1/(bn(bn−1)n)\tau_n<1/(b_n(b_n-1)^n) (5.1), which also gives the Liouville property. An induction on nn shows every nondecreasing nn-tuple with sum below θ\theta has sum at most SnS_n, with equality only for (b1,…,bn)(b_1,\ldots,b_n), by comparing a larger sum's distance from SnS_n with the tail bound; the strictly increasing case follows since that tuple is strictly increasing, and (5.1) gives G(θ−Sn−1)=bnG(\theta-S_{n-1})=b_n, so the maximizers are greedy (pp. 27--28). Read for its scheme only; not verified here.

Read depth and standing

Claims checked: the statement read clause by clause on PDF p. 3; Section 5 (pp. 27--28) read for its scheme. Author preprint, with no refereed acceptance or independent review found.

Bears on. No Erdős problem directly. On the page of #206 it is context only: an explicit irrational whose best underapproximations are greedy from the first term, while that problem asks about almost every real number.