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Erdős problem 206

Let x>0x>0 be a real number. For any n1n\geq 1 let Rn(x)=i=1n1mi<xR_n(x) = \sum_{i=1}^n\frac{1}{m_i}<x be the maximal sum of nn distinct unit fractions which is <x<x.

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FormalConjectures/ErdosProblems/

206.lean

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Let x>0x>0 be a real number. For any n1n\geq 1 let Rn(x)=i=1n1mi<xR_n(x) = \sum_{i=1}^n\frac{1}{m_i}<x be the maximal sum of nn distinct unit fractions which is <x<x.

Is it true that, for almost all xx, for sufficiently large nn, we have Rn+1(x)=Rn(x)+1m,R_{n+1}(x)=R_n(x)+\frac{1}{m}, where mm is minimal such that mm does not appear in Rn(x)R_n(x) and the right-hand side is <x<x? (That is, are the best underapproximations eventually always constructed in a 'greedy' fashion?)

Kovač [Ko24b] has proved that this is false - in fact as false as possible: the set of x(0,)x\in (0,\infty) for which the best underapproximations are eventually 'greedy' has Lebesgue measure zero.

FormalConjectures/ErdosProblems/206.leanErdos206.erdos_2061 lineExact file
False ↔ ∀ᵐ (x : ℝ) ∂MeasureTheory.volume.restrict (Set.Ioi 0), Erdos206.EventuallyGreedy x
SolvedProof has a holelean4external proof

The proof uses `sorry`: part of the argument is written but not proved. Lean accepts the file; it does not accept the theorem.

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