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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. Write Hn=∑k≤n1/k=cn/dnH_n=\sum_{k\le n}1/k=c_n/d_n in lowest terms and Dn=lcm(1,…,n)=dnqnD_n=\mathrm{lcm}(1,\ldots,n)=d_nq_n; in the notation of Problem 291, qn=(an,Ln)q_n=(a_n,L_n). Shiu's [../library/unit_fractions/shiu_2016_denominators_harmonic_numbers_revised/theorem_1|Theorem 1] states that dn<dn−1d_n<d_{n-1} for infinitely many nn; since dn−1≤Dn−1≤Dnd_{n-1}\le D_{n-1}\le D_n, every such nn has qn>1q_n>1. Shiu's Theorem 2 is the exact criterion behind this: for an odd prime p≤np\le n, p∣qnp\mid q_n if and only if the leading digit mm of nn in base pp satisfies p∣cmp\mid c_m. Pairing 1/j1/j with 1/(p−j)1/(p-j) shows p∣cp−1p\mid c_{p-1} for every odd prime, so every n≥pn\ge p whose leading digit in base pp is p−1p-1 has p∣qnp\mid q_n; for p=3p=3 these are the nn with 2⋅3a≤n<3a+12\cdot3^a\le n<3^{a+1}, a≥1a\ge1, a set of positive lower density. Hence (an,Ln)>1(a_n,L_n)>1 for infinitely many nn: the second question of the problem is answered in the affirmative.

Covers. The second question, that (an,Ln)>1(a_n,L_n)>1 occurs for infinitely many nn, together with the criterion that says for which nn a given odd prime divides (an,Ln)(a_n,L_n). Not covered: the first question, whether (an,Ln)=1(a_n,L_n)=1 occurs for infinitely many nn, which the same paper states as a conjecture (with the count of such n≤xn\le x of order x/log⁡xx/\log x) and does not prove.

Standing. Claimed. The site's curator, Thomas Bloom, records in the problem's commentary that the second question is answered affirmatively and states the leading-digit criterion as a necessary and sufficient condition; Bloom credits the base-33 case to Stefan Steinerberger and cites Shiu's preprint only for the heuristic count of the complementary set, so the curator's credit goes to Steinerberger's observation, which has its own pending page, Steinerberger's base-3 observation, and is not reviewed evidence for this claim (the site labels the problem OPEN); this preprint is the earlier written proof of the same answer, disclosed on that page, and the attribution to Shiu rests on the paper itself. The paper is an unrefereed preprint (arXiv:1607.02863, v1 of 11 July 2016, v2 of 30 July 2024; no journal record was found on 2026-09-18), so refereed is not listed, and no Lean built by this corpus checks the statement, so formalized is not listed; the formal-conjectures statement file marks the corresponding part solved with a sorry body, which is not a formalization. The library's source card cites the preprint (arXiv:1607.02863v2), though no file of it is held; its result pages record the statements read clause by clause and the elementary proofs read through, and the problem page records an exact-arithmetic check of the criterion for all odd primes below 6060 and all n≤3000n\le3000 and of the values qnq_n against OEIS A110566 up to n=10000n=10000.