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Erdős Problem 1192

References:

    erdosproblems.com/1192

    [Ru90] Ruzsa, Imre Z., A just basis. Monatsh. Math. (1990), 145--151.

    [Er80] Erdős, Paul, A survey of problems in combinatorial number theory. Ann. Discrete Math. 6 (1980), 89--115.

open Nat Filter Finset Setopen scoped Asymptotics Classical BigOperators namespace Erdos1192

For $A\subset \mathbb{N}$ let $f_r(n)$ count the number of solutions to $n=a_1+\cdots+a_r$ with $a_i\in A$.

noncomputable def f_r (A : Set ) (r n : ) : := { v : Fin r | ( i, v i A) i, v i = n }.ncard

The empty sum ($r = 0$) gives exactly one representation of $0$: the empty tuple.

@[category test, AMS 5 11] theorem erdos_1192.f_r_zero_zero (A : Set ) : f_r A 0 0 = 1 := A:Set f_r A 0 0 = 1 A:Set {v | (∀ (i : Fin 0), v i A) i, v i = 0}.ncard = 1 have h : { v : Fin 0 | ( i, v i A) i, v i = 0 } = { default } := A:Set f_r A 0 0 = 1 A:Set v:Fin 0 v {v | (∀ (i : Fin 0), v i A) i, v i = 0} v {default} All goals completed! 🐙 All goals completed! 🐙

With an empty set, there are no valid $r$-tuples for $r \geq 1$.

@[category test, AMS 5 11] theorem erdos_1192.f_r_empty (r n : ) : f_r (r + 1) n = 0 := r:n:f_r (r + 1) n = 0 r:n:{v | (∀ (i : Fin (r + 1)), v i ) i, v i = n}.ncard = 0 have h : { v : Fin (r + 1) | ( i, v i ( : Set )) i, v i = n } = := r:n:f_r (r + 1) n = 0 r:n:v:Fin (r + 1) v {v | (∀ (i : Fin (r + 1)), v i ) i, v i = n} v All goals completed! 🐙 All goals completed! 🐙

For $r = 1$, $f_1({n}, n) = 1$: the only $1$-tuple from ${n}$ summing to $n$ is $(n)$.

@[category test, AMS 5 11] theorem erdos_1192.f_r_singleton_self (n : ) : f_r {n} 1 n = 1 := n:f_r {n} 1 n = 1 n:{v | (∀ (i : Fin 1), v i {n}) i, v i = n}.ncard = 1 have h : { v : Fin 1 | ( i, v i ({n} : Set )) i, v i = n } = { fun _ n } := n:f_r {n} 1 n = 1 n:v:Fin 1 v {v | (∀ (i : Fin 1), v i {n}) i, v i = n} v {fun x => n} n:v:Fin 1 (∀ (i : Fin 1), v i = n) i, v i = n v = fun x => n n:v:Fin 1 (∀ (i : Fin 1), v i = n) i, v i = n v = fun x => nn:v:Fin 1 (v = fun x => n) (∀ (i : Fin 1), v i = n) i, v i = n n:v:Fin 1 (∀ (i : Fin 1), v i = n) i, v i = n v = fun x => n n:v:Fin 1 h1: (i : Fin 1), v i = nright✝: i, v i = nv = fun x => n n:v:Fin 1 h1: (i : Fin 1), v i = nright✝: i, v i = ni:Fin 1v i = n All goals completed! 🐙 n:v:Fin 1 (v = fun x => n) (∀ (i : Fin 1), v i = n) i, v i = n n:(∀ (i : Fin 1), (fun x => n) i = n) i, (fun x => n) i = n n: i, (fun x => n) i = n All goals completed! 🐙 All goals completed! 🐙

$f_1({0}, 1) = 0$: can't represent $1$ with a single element from ${0}$.

@[category test, AMS 5 11] theorem erdos_1192.f_r_no_rep : f_r {0} 1 1 = 0 := f_r {0} 1 1 = 0 {v | (∀ (i : Fin 1), v i {0}) i, v i = 1}.ncard = 0 have h : { v : Fin 1 | ( i, v i ({0} : Set )) i, v i = 1 } = := f_r {0} 1 1 = 0 v:Fin 1 v {v | (∀ (i : Fin 1), v i {0}) i, v i = 1} v v:Fin 1 ¬((∀ (i : Fin 1), v i = 0) i, v i = 1) v:Fin 1 h1: (i : Fin 1), v i = 0h2: i, v i = 1False have h3 : v = fun _ 0 := f_r {0} 1 1 = 0 v:Fin 1 h1: (i : Fin 1), v i = 0h2: i, v i = 1i:Fin 1v i = 0; All goals completed! 🐙 v:Fin 1 h1: (i : Fin 1), v i = 0h2: i, (fun x => 0) i = 1h3:v = fun x => 0False v:Fin 1 h1: (i : Fin 1), v i = 0h3:v = fun x => 0 i, (fun x => 0) i = 1 False All goals completed! 🐙 All goals completed! 🐙

Does there exist, for all $r\geq 2$, a basis $A$ of order $r$ (so that $f_r(n)>0$ for all large $n$) such that $$\sum_{n\leq x}f_r(n)^2 \ll x$$ for all $x$?

@[category research open, AMS 5] theorem declaration uses 'sorry'erdos_1192 : answer(sorry) r 2, A : Set , (∀ᶠ n in atTop, f_r A r n > 0) (fun (x : ) n range (x + 1), (f_r A r n : ) ^ 2) =O[atTop] (fun (x : ) (x : )) := True r 2, A, (∀ᶠ (n : ) in atTop, f_r A r n > 0) (fun x => n Finset.range (x + 1), (f_r A r n) ^ 2) =O[atTop] fun x => x All goals completed! 🐙

Erdős and Rényi proved by the probabilistic method that there exists a set $A$ such that $$\sum_{n\leq x}f_r(n)^2 \ll x$$ and $$\lvert A\cap [1,x]\rvert\gg x^{1/r}$$ for all $x$.

@[category research solved, AMS 5] theorem declaration uses 'sorry'erdos_1192.variants.renyi : r 2, A : Set , ((fun (x : ) n range (x + 1), (f_r A r n : ) ^ 2) =O[atTop] (fun (x : ) (x : ))) ((fun (x : ) (x : ) ^ (1 / (r : ))) =O[atTop] (fun (x : ) (count A x : ))) := r 2, A, ((fun x => n Finset.range (x + 1), (f_r A r n) ^ 2) =O[atTop] fun x => x) (fun x => x ^ (1 / r)) =O[atTop] fun x => (count A x) All goals completed! 🐙

Ruzsa [Ru90] proved that the answer is yes for $r=2$.

@[category research solved, AMS 5] theorem declaration uses 'sorry'erdos_1192.variants.ruzsa : A : Set , (∀ᶠ n in atTop, f_r A 2 n > 0) (fun (x : ) n range (x + 1), (f_r A 2 n : ) ^ 2) =O[atTop] (fun (x : ) (x : )) := A, (∀ᶠ (n : ) in atTop, f_r A 2 n > 0) (fun x => n Finset.range (x + 1), (f_r A 2 n) ^ 2) =O[atTop] fun x => x All goals completed! 🐙 end Erdos1192