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Erdős Problem 287

Reference: erdosproblems.com/287

namespace Erdos287

The maximum gap between consecutive terms of a finite sequence s : Fin k → ℕ, i.e., $\max_{0 \le i < k-1} (s(i+1) - s(i))$.

def max_gap (k : ) (s : Fin k ) : := Finset.sup Finset.univ (fun i : Fin (k - 1) => s i.val + 1, k:s:Fin k i:Fin (k - 1)i + 1 < k All goals completed! 🐙 - s i.val, k:s:Fin k i:Fin (k - 1)i < k All goals completed! 🐙)

Let $k\geq2$. Is it true that, for any distinct integers $1 < n_1 < \cdots < n_k$ such that $\sum_{i=1}^k \frac{1}{n_i} = 1$, we must have $\max(n_{i+1} - n_i) \geq 3$?

@[category research open, AMS 11] theorem declaration uses 'sorry'erdos_287 : answer(sorry) (k : ) (hk : 2 k) (s : Fin k ), StrictMono s 1 < s 0, k:hk:2 ks:Fin k 0 < k All goals completed! 🐙 i : Fin k, 1/ (s i : ) = 1 3 max_gap k s:= True (k : ) (hk : 2 k) (s : Fin k ), StrictMono s 1 < s 0, i, 1 / (s i) = 1 3 max_gap k s All goals completed! 🐙

The lower bound of $\geq 2$ is equivalent to saying that $1$ is not the sum of reciprocals of consecutive integers, proved by Erdős [Er32].

@[category research solved, AMS 11] theorem declaration uses 'sorry'erdos_287.variants.gap_at_least_two : (k : ) (_ : 2 k) (s : Fin k ), StrictMono s 1 < s 0, k:x✝:2 ks:Fin k 0 < k All goals completed! 🐙 i : Fin k, 1 / (s i : ) = 1 2 max_gap k s := (k : ) (x : 2 k) (s : Fin k ), StrictMono s 1 < s 0, i, 1 / (s i) = 1 2 max_gap k s All goals completed! 🐙

The example $1 = \frac{1}{2}+\frac{1}{3}+\frac{1}{6}$ shows that $3$ would be best possible here: the sequence $(2, 3, 6)$ is a valid Egyptian fraction representation of $1$ with max_gap = 3.

@[category test, AMS 11] theorem erdos_287.test.best_possible : let s : Fin 3 := ![2, 3, 6] StrictMono s 1 < s 0 i : Fin 3, 1 / (s i : ) = 1 max_gap 3 s = 3 := let s := ![2, 3, 6]; StrictMono s 1 < s 0 i, 1 / (s i) = 1 max_gap 3 s = 3 StrictMono ![2, 3, 6]1 < ![2, 3, 6] 0 i, 1 / (![2, 3, 6] i) = 1max_gap 3 ![2, 3, 6] = 3 StrictMono ![2, 3, 6] All goals completed! 🐙 1 < ![2, 3, 6] 0 All goals completed! 🐙 i, 1 / (![2, 3, 6] i) = 1 All goals completed! 🐙 max_gap 3 ![2, 3, 6] = 3 All goals completed! 🐙

For all large $N$, there exists a prime $p \in [N, 2N]$ such that $\frac{p+1}{2}$ is also prime.

This is an open conjecture. If true, it would imply erdos_287 for all but at most finitely many exceptions (see erdos_287.variants.prime_conjecture_implies).

@[category research open, AMS 11] theorem declaration uses 'sorry'erdos_287.variants.prime_conjecture : answer(sorry) N₀ : , N : , N₀ N p : , Nat.Prime p N p p 2 * N Nat.Prime ((p + 1) / 2) := True N₀, (N : ), N₀ N p, Nat.Prime p N p p 2 * N Nat.Prime ((p + 1) / 2) All goals completed! 🐙

The conjecture erdos_287 would follow for all but at most finitely many exceptions if it were known that, for all large $N$, there exists a prime $p \in [N, 2N]$ such that $\frac{p+1}{2}$ is also prime.

More precisely: if the prime conjecture holds, then there exists $k_0$ such that for all $k \geq k_0$, any Egyptian fraction representation of $1$ with $k$ terms and all terms $> 1$ must have $\max(n_{i+1} - n_i) \geq 3$.

@[category textbook, AMS 11] theorem declaration uses 'sorry'erdos_287.variants.prime_conjecture_implies : type_of% erdos_287.variants.prime_conjecture (k₀ : ), ∀ᵉ (k : ) (hk₀ : k₀ k) (hk : 2 k) (s : Fin k ), StrictMono s 1 < s 0, k₀:k:hk₀:k₀ khk:2 ks:Fin k 0 < k All goals completed! 🐙 i : Fin k, 1 / (s i : ) = 1 3 max_gap k s := (True N₀, (N : ), N₀ N p, Nat.Prime p N p p 2 * N Nat.Prime ((p + 1) / 2)) k₀, (k : ), k₀ k (hk : 2 k) (s : Fin k ), StrictMono s 1 < s 0, i, 1 / (s i) = 1 3 max_gap k s All goals completed! 🐙 end Erdos287