Kernel-Checked Exclusions for the Erdős-Selfridge Odd Covering Problem: Any Odd Covering of $\mathbb{Z}$ Has lcm Exceeding 10000
Abstract
The Erd\H{o}s-Selfridge odd covering problem (Erd\H{o}s problem #7) asks whether a covering system of exists whose moduli are all odd, distinct, and greater than 1. The problem is open. We present a Lean 4 formalization, checked end to end by the proof kernel, of the exclusion: any covering of by finitely many congruence classes with distinct odd moduli > 1 has lcm of the moduli exceeding 10000. The proof composes a formalized density argument (a covering by divisors of exceeding 1 forces , so the lcm is abundant or perfect), a kernel-checked abundancy floor (no odd qualifies), a family of Chinese-Remainder capacity certificates -- decidable per- arithmetic inequalities each refuting every covering with distinct moduli > 1 dividing that -- for all 23 odd abundant numbers below , and a kernel-checked enumeration establishing that those 23 are the only odd non-deficient candidates. The result is transported to the official StrictCoveringSystem formulation of Erd\H{o}s #7 in google-deepmind/formal-conjectures, with a bidirectional periodicity bridge between coverings of and finite checks over suitable for consuming future SAT-style search output. All 63 published theorems depend on exactly propext, Classical.choice, and Quot.sound: no sorry, no native_decide, no solver in the trusted base. The mathematical content is known -- the density argument is folklore, and far larger uncertified classifications of covering numbers exist -- so the contribution is epistemic rather than mathematical: these exclusions are theorems of the Lean kernel, with an axiom gate enforced mechanically in continuous integration.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2607.25628,
title = {Kernel-Checked Exclusions for the Erdős-Selfridge Odd Covering Problem: Any Odd Covering of $\mathbb{Z}$ Has lcm Exceeding 10000},
author = {Ibrahim Mian and Shayaan Siddique},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2607.25628},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
11 pages. Lean 4 sources, certificates, and CI at https://github.com/ibrahimmian36/centurion