English

A Complete Answer to Erd\H{o}s Problem 690

Number Theory 2026-05-12 v1

Abstract

Let dk(p)d_k(p) denote the natural density of positive integers whose kk-th smallest prime divisor is pp. Erd\H{o}s asked whether, for each fixed kk, the sequence pdk(p)p\mapsto d_k(p) is unimodal as pp ranges over the primes. Cambie proved that unimodality holds for 1k31\le k\le3 and verified non-unimodality for 4k204\le k\le20. We prove that pdk(p)p\mapsto d_k(p) is not unimodal for every k4k\ge4, completing the classification. An exact first-difference criterion reduces the problem to comparing a symmetric-polynomial ratio with prime gaps. Explicit estimates for prime-counting functions, certified finite computations, one certified large prime gap, one certified twin prime, and a uniform Chinese-remainder construction then produce, for every k4k\ge4, a strict descent followed by a later strict ascent.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2605.08542,
  title  = {A Complete Answer to Erd\H{o}s Problem 690},
  author = {Shouqiao Wang and Davide Crapis},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2605.08542},
  year   = {2026}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T12:59:15.147Z