Wiki
Wiki

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

Updated


Submitted to the proof-claim tab of Problem 361 on 23 July 2026 as a full proof claim under the name Principia Math, posted by the account antonshakov under the display name principia_math; the tab names GPT 5.6 and Opus 4.8 as the systems used, and the project's formalization.yaml at the commit linked above names the author as the Principia Math harness, an autonomous multi-model research harness. For c>0c>0 let fc(n)f_c(n) be the largest size of A⊆{1,…,⌊cn⌋}A\subseteq\{1,\ldots,\lfloor cn\rfloor\} with no subset summing to nn. Theorem 1 of the manuscript The Erdős–Graham irregularity problem for subset sums (three pages, at the commit of 23 July 2026 linked above): if 0<c<10<c<1 then fc(n)/nf_c(n)/n does not converge; if c≥1c\ge1 then fc(n)=⌊cn⌋−⌈n/2⌉f_c(n)=\lfloor cn\rfloor-\lceil n/2\rceil for every n≥1n\ge1, so fc(n)/n→c−1/2f_c(n)/n\to c-1/2. The proof: for odd nn the even integers up to cncn avoid nn, so any limit would be at least c/2c/2; for even nn, Alon's bounded zero-sum theorem (every X⊆Z/NZX\subseteq\mathbb Z/N\mathbb Z with ∣X∣>(1/k+ϵ)N|X|>(1/k+\epsilon)N, NN large, has a nonempty subset of at most kk elements summing to 00) gives Proposition 2, that for A⊆[1,E]A\subseteq[1,E] avoiding an even τ∈[2E,ρE]\tau\in[2E,\rho E] one has ∣A∣≤τ/(2K)+δE|A|\le\tau/(2K)+\delta E with K=⌊3τ/(2E)⌋K=\lfloor3\tau/(2E)\rfloor, since two extracted short subsets summing to τ/2\tau/2 combine to τ\tau; along even nn this bounds fc(n)/nf_c(n)/n strictly below c/2c/2, with the pairing of xx and n−xn-x added when 1/2<c<11/2<c<1. For c≥1c\ge1 the pairs {x,n−x}\{x,n-x\} give the formula.

Submission note. Posted to erdosproblems.com as a proof claim by Principia Math (account antonshakov) on 23 July 2026, giving "GPT 5.6, Opus 4.8" as the AI used:

For fixed c>0c>0, let fc(n)f_c(n) be the largest size of a set A⊆1,…,⌊cn⌋A\subseteq{1,\ldots,\lfloor cn\rfloor} with no subset summing to nn. When 0<c<10<c<1, the proof compares odd and even nn. For odd nn, the even integers give examples of size about cn/2cn/2. For even nn, Alon’s bounded zero-sum theorem shows that any sufficiently dense set must contain short subsets whose sums are controlled modulo n/2n/2; combining these subsets, together with the elementary pairing of xx and n−xn-x when needed, forces a subset sum equal to nn. This gives an upper bound along even nn strictly below cn/2cn/2, so fc(n)/nf_c(n)/n does not converge. For c≥1c\geq1, a complementary-pair argument gives the exact formula fc(n)=⌊cn⌋−⌈n/2⌉f_c(n)=\lfloor cn\rfloor-\lceil n/2\rceil, and hence fc(n)/n→c−12f_c(n)/n\to c-\tfrac12. Thus the irregular behavior occurs exactly for 0<c<10<c<1. Notes: Our proof resolves the question of whether fc(n)f_c(n) depends irregularly on nn, but there are many interesting questions one could still ask about fc(n)f_c(n). We would be happy to collaborate with anyone who has worked on or thought about this problem on a fuller write-up that places the result in context and develops these ideas further.

Covers. The second question, whether the size depends irregularly on nn, answered yes for every 0<c<10<c<1 with irregularity read as non-convergence of fc(n)/nf_c(n)/n; and the first question exactly for c≥1c\ge1. It does not determine fc(n)f_c(n) for 0<c<10<c<1; the subsequential limits of fc(n)/nf_c(n)/n along arithmetic classes are the subject of Beyer de Ryke's note and of Principia Math's second claim. The claim was filed as a full proof claim, but the first comment under it (24 July 2026) observes that it answers the second question and not the first, the claimant agreed, and the claimant's own note on the tab says the proof resolves the irregularity question while many questions about fc(n)f_c(n) remain; the repository's VERIFICATION.md likewise states that the development does not claim to resolve the problem as the site states it. It is recorded here as partial for those reasons. Beyer de Ryke's note, posted in the same thread two days later, proves the same non-convergence with explicit limits along arithmetic subsequences.

The formalization. The erdos361/ directory at the commit of 9 September 2026 linked above: a Lean 4 project pinned to Lean v4.31.0 and Mathlib v4.31.0, whose Challenge.lean states, over the definitions Avoids, F M n (the largest size of a subset of [1,M][1,M] avoiding nn) and Fc c n = F ⌊cn⌋ n, the theorems erdos361_cge1, that F(M,n)=M−⌈n/2⌉F(M,n)=M-\lceil n/2\rceil for 1≤n≤M1\le n\le M, and erdos361_irregular, that for real 0<c<10<c<1 no LL has Fc(n)/n→LF_c(n)/n\to L; Solution.lean proves both by term assignment from the development, and a comparator configuration is meant to check that the proved statements are the stated ones. The README and VERIFICATION.md (dated 28 July 2026) report both theorems with the axiom list propext, Classical.choice, Quot.sound, Alon's theorem proved in the project over a prime modulus from a restricted sumset bound built on Mathlib's combinatorial Nullstellensatz, and the irregularity assembled along n=2pn=2p for primes pp; the tree's formalization.yaml still describes the irregularity as conditional on an axiom stating Alon's theorem, an earlier state of the development, so the tree's records disagree with each other. The same record calls the build and the comparator continuous-integration operations that were not run on the authoring platform, and reports no run of either, while the repository's root README at the same commit calls the project Comparator-certified on CI. A third theorem, basile71_unconditional, states that for ε>0\varepsilon>0 and large EE every A⊆[1,E]A\subseteq[1,E] with ∣A∣≥(1/3+ε)E|A|\ge(1/3+\varepsilon)E has a subset summing to each even t∈(2E,3E)t\in(2E,3E) with 3∤t3\nmid t, which with E=⌊cn⌋E=\lfloor cn\rfloor gives fc(n)=(c/3+o(1))nf_c(n)=(c/3+o(1))n along even nn not divisible by 33 for 1/3<c<1/21/3<c<1/2, a result on the first question that the records call Part 1 and Problem 7.1 of Beyer de Ryke's note; it has its own claim page. This description rests on the statement files and the records; nothing was built, kernel-checked or audited here, and the repository's own record calls the development a candidate pending an expert referee.

Standing. Claimed: the site's label is OPEN (page last edited 17 October 2025; proof-claims tab accessed 2026-10-07); the manuscript is a repository document, not on a preprint server, with no refereed version, site acceptance or independent review found on 2026-10-07.