English

On irrationals with Lagrange value exactly 3

Number Theory 2026-02-10 v3 Combinatorics

Abstract

For c>0c>0, let XcX_c denote the set of xR\Qx\in\mathbb{R}\backslash\mathbb{Q} such that xpq<1cq2\left| x-\frac{p}{q} \right|<\frac{1}{cq^2} has only finitely many rational solutions pq\frac{p}{q}. It is a classical fact, known since the 1950s, that XcX_c is uncountable for c>3c>3 and countable for c<3c<3. However, the cardinality of X3X_3 does not appear to be present in the literature. We prove that X3X_3 is uncountable. More generally, we show that for any nN{}n\in\mathbb{N}\cup\{\infty\}, the set of xR\Qx\in\mathbb{R}\backslash\mathbb{Q} with Lagrange value exactly 33 and such that xpq<13q2\left| x-\frac{p}{q} \right|<\frac{1}{3q^2} has exactly nn rational solutions pq\frac{p}{q} is also uncountable.

Cite

@article{arxiv.2509.01867,
  title  = {On irrationals with Lagrange value exactly 3},
  author = {Zhe Cao and Harold Erazo and Carlos Gustavo Moreira},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2509.01867},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

After publication, we learned that the cardinality of $X_3$ was obtained by C. Gurwood (PhD thesis, 1976) by fully characterizing $X(0)$. The result was later reproved by a different method by G. Harcos (undergraduate thesis, 1996, Hungarian). Our method allows the construction of uncountably many irrational numbers in each X(n) with Sturmian continued fraction after substituting a=(2,2), b=(1,1)

R2 v1 2026-07-01T05:16:28.297Z