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Research notes on every problem, and a library of the papers behind them. Built from the open erdos repository.

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Claim. The answer to Problem 516 is yes for every entire function f(z)=∑k≥1akznkf(z)=\sum_{k\ge1}a_kz^{n_k} with ∑k1/(nk+1−nk)<∞\sum_k1/(n_{k+1}-n_k)<\infty. P. Erdős and A. J. Macintyre, Integral functions with gap power series, Proc. Edinburgh Math. Soc. (2) 10 (1954), no. 2, 62--70, doi:10.1017/S0013091500021416, prove in their Theorem 1 that for every entire function ff with strictly increasing exponents nkn_k and

∑k1nk+1−nk<∞\sum_{k}\frac1{n_{k+1}-n_k}<\infty

one has lim sup⁡r→∞m(r)/M(r)=lim sup⁡r→∞μ(r)/M(r)=1\limsup_{r\to\infty}m(r)/M(r)=\limsup_{r\to\infty}\mu(r)/M(r)=1, where M(r)M(r), m(r)m(r) and μ(r)\mu(r) are the maximum modulus, the minimum modulus and the maximum term on ∣z∣=r\lvert z\rvert=r; the theorem has no order hypothesis. Along a sequence of radii with m(r)/M(r)→1m(r)/M(r)\to1 one has log⁡m(r)/log⁡M(r)→1\log m(r)/\log M(r)\to1, since M(r)→∞M(r)\to\infty, and m(r)≤M(r)m(r)\le M(r) gives the reverse bound, so lim sup⁡log⁡m(r)/log⁡M(r)=1\limsup\log m(r)/\log M(r)=1, the question's statement; and the convergence of the gap sum forces the gaps nk+1−nkn_{k+1}-n_k to tend to infinity, hence nk/k→∞n_k/k\to\infty, so every finite-order ff with a convergent gap sum belongs to the question's class. The paper presents Theorem 1 as a sharpening of a remark in the last sentence of Pólya's 1929 paper, that lim sup⁡m(r)/M(r)=1\limsup m(r)/M(r)=1 holds when lim inf⁡k→∞log⁡(nk+1−nk)/log⁡nk>1/2\liminf_{k\to\infty}\log(n_{k+1}-n_k)/\log n_k>1/2, and notes that Pólya's condition implies the convergent gap sum. Its Theorem 2 shows the condition sharp: whenever the gap sum diverges there is an entire function with those exponents and lim sup⁡μ(r)/M(r)≤1/2\limsup\mu(r)/M(r)\le1/2 and lim sup⁡m(r)/M(r)≤1/2\limsup m(r)/M(r)\le1/2. The statement follows the paper's print (pp. 62--63); the proof is not reconstructed in this repository.

Covers. Entire functions of finite order with ∑1/(nk+1−nk)<∞\sum1/(n_{k+1}-n_k)<\infty, a subclass of the question's class, with the stronger conclusion lim sup⁡m(r)/M(r)=1\limsup m(r)/M(r)=1. Not covered: finite-order functions with nk/k→∞n_k/k\to\infty and a divergent gap sum, settled by the accepted full claim of Fuchs.

Depends on. Nothing in this wiki: the argument is the paper's own.

Acceptance. Refereed: the paper appeared in the Proceedings of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society, a refereed journal. The site labels the problem PROVED (LEAN) and credits Fuchs with the solution, recording this paper's gap condition as an earlier result; the label settles the problem through Fuchs's paper, not this one, so the page lists no reviewed evidence.

Dating. The page is dated by the issue month in the publisher's record (Crossref), December 1954; the day is a placeholder.