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Erdős Problem 275

References:

    erdosproblems.com/275

    [CrVE70] R.B. Crittenden and C.L. Vanden Eynden, Any n arithmetic progressions covering the first 2^n integers cover all integers, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 24 (1970), 475-481.

open Set namespace Erdos275

If a finite system of $r$ congruences ${ a_i\pmod{n_i} : 1\leq i\leq r}$ (the $n_i$ are not necessarily distinct) covers $2^r$ consecutive integers then it covers all integers.

This is best possible as the system $2^{i-1}\pmod{2^i}$ shows. This was proved independently by Selfridge and Crittenden and Vanden Eynden [CrVE70].

This was formalized in Lean by Alexeev using Aristotle.

@[category research solved, AMS 11, formal_proof using lean4 at "https://github.com/plby/lean-proofs/blob/main/src/v4.24.0/ErdosProblems/Erdos275.lean"] theorem declaration uses 'sorry'erdos_275 (r : ) (a : Fin r ) (n : Fin r ) (H : k : , x Ico k (k + 2 ^ r), i, x a i [ZMOD n i]) (x : ) : i, x a i [ZMOD n i] := r:a:Fin r n:Fin r H: k, x Ico k (k + 2 ^ r), i, x a i [ZMOD (n i)]x: i, x a i [ZMOD (n i)] All goals completed! 🐙 end Erdos275