Wiki
Wiki

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

Updated


Claim. With g(n)=n+ϕ(n)g(n)=n+\phi(n) and gkg_k its kk-th iterate, the shift-two case of Problem 411 asks for the nn with gk+2(n)=2gk(n)g_{k+2}(n)=2g_k(n) for all large kk. Steinerberger's preprint [St25] (library card) shows, in its Section 2.1, that the relation holds from step kk on exactly when m=gk(n)m=g_k(n) solves

ϕ(m)+ϕ(m+ϕ(m))=m,\phi(m)+\phi(m+\phi(m))=m,

because such an mm is even and g(2m)=2g(m)g(2m)=2g(m) for even mm carries the doubling to every later step. Its Theorem puts every solution mm of the equation into one of two branches: the odd part of mm lies in {1,3,5,7,35,47}\{1,3,5,7,35,47\}, or m=2ℓ(8t+7)m=2^\ell(8t+7) or m=2ℓ(6t+5)m=2^\ell(6t+5) with 8t+7≥10108t+7\ge10^{10} prime and ϕ(6t+5)=4t+4\phi(6t+5)=4t+4. The first branch is settled by the preprint: the powers of 22 and the numbers 3⋅2ℓ3\cdot2^\ell are solutions (Section 2.2), the orbits $7\cdot2^\ell\to5\cdot2^{\ell+1}\to 7\cdot2^{\ell+1}$ and 47⋅2ℓ→35⋅2ℓ+1→47⋅2ℓ+147\cdot2^\ell\to35\cdot2^{\ell+1}\to47\cdot2^{\ell+1} give the other four families (Section 2.10), and 11 and 22 are not solutions (Section 2.1), so the first-branch solutions are exactly

{2as:s∈{1,3,5,7,35,47}, a≥as},a1=2,as=1 (s≠1).\{2^a s: s\in\{1,3,5,7,35,47\},\ a\ge a_s\},\qquad a_1=2,\quad a_s=1\ (s\ne1).

The shift-two solutions nn of the problem are the nn whose orbit reaches such an mm; they include nn with other odd parts, such as n=18n=18 (orbit 18→24→32→4818\to24\to32\to48) and n=22n=22 (orbit 22→32→4822\to32\to48), which satisfy the relation from k=1k=1. The two solutions the site records, n=10n=10 and n=94n=94, are first-branch solutions with a=1a=1. The preprint's computer search (Section 2.10) finds no prime 8t+7≤10108t+7\le10^{10} with ϕ(6t+5)=4t+4\phi(6t+5)=4t+4 other than 77 and 4747 (t=0,5t=0,5), the primes behind the first-branch odd parts 7,57,5 and 47,3547,35; it relates the second branch to whether ϕ(q)=23(q+1)\phi(q)=\tfrac23(q+1) has infinitely many solutions (q=5,35,1295,1679615q=5,35,1295,1679615 are known). The site's commentary reports the reduction and the two branches and credits them to [St25].

Covers. The first branch of the reduction for r=2r=2: the solutions mm of ϕ(m)+ϕ(m+ϕ(m))=m\phi(m)+\phi(m+\phi(m))=m with odd part in {1,3,5,7,35,47}\{1,3,5,7,35,47\} are exactly the six doubling families above, each of which satisfies gk+2(m)=2gk(m)g_{k+2}(m)=2g_k(m) for every k≥0k\ge0. It does not settle r=2r=2: the second branch is open, and which nn reach a solution of the equation is not determined; it says nothing about other shifts rr, and the problem's classification over all nn and rr stays open.

Depends on. No page of this wiki.

Later claim of the same result. A partial proof claim by Alateng Pan, posted on the site's proof-claims tab on 2026-09-08 under the user name Tonycollatz (proof claim 287), asserts the first-branch classification above, with the thresholds a1=2a_1=2 and as=1a_s=1, by the six base cases n=4,6,10,14,70,94n=4,6,10,14,70,94 and the doubling step; its forum summary names it the first branch of Steinerberger's reduction, and the write-up, Erdős–Graham Problem #411: a construction of six solution families for the r=2 case (Zenodo record 21991040, fourth version of 2026-08-18, CC BY 4.0), credits [St25] with the reduction and the branches. The record's three earlier versions, of 2026-08-11, 2026-08-14 and 2026-08-15, were titled as a complete proof of the r=2r=2 case and claimed it; the fourth version retitles the result to the first branch and leaves the second branch open. The submission states that the system DeepSeek was used for language polishing and formatting only, with the mathematics the author's own. The result being the one this page records, the claim is disclosed here and gets no page of its own.

Standing. An arXiv preprint (v1 of 2025-04-10) with no journal reference on its arXiv record and no formalization; the site's commentary reports the result but labels the problem OPEN (page last edited 28 October 2025; the later claim carries no comments), and the community database notes a partial r=2r=2 result without changing the problem's open status, so no acceptance evidence is listed and the claim stays claimed.