Integers that are not the sum of positive powers
Abstract
The generalized Waring problem asks exactly which positive integers cannot be expressed as the sum of positive -th powers? Using computational techniques, this paper refines an approach introduced by Zenkin, establishes results for the individual cases , and resolves conjectures of Zenkin and the OEIS. This paper further establishes theoretical results regarding the properties of the sets of integers that are not the sum of positive -th powers. The notion of Waring's problem is further extended to the finite sets of non-representable numbers where . Improved computational techniques and results from Waring's problem are used throughout to catalog the sets of such integers, which are then considered in a general setting.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2404.08193,
title = {Integers that are not the sum of positive powers},
author = {Brennan Benfield and Oliver Lippard},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2404.08193},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
20 pages, updated version to include improvements in the computational technique and the reduction of upper bounds on $G(1,k)$. The main results are also restated in a general format