English

Reflections on the Erd\H {o}s Discrepancy Problem

Combinatorics 2020-06-01 v1

Abstract

We consider some coloring issues related to the famous Erd\H {o}s Discrepancy Problem. A set of the form As,k={s,2s,,ks}A_{s,k}=\{s,2s,\dots,ks\}, with s,kNs,k\in \mathbb{N}, is called a \emph{homogeneous arithmetic progression}. We prove that for every fixed kk there exists a 22-coloring of N\mathbb N such that every set As,kA_{s,k} is \emph{perfectly balanced} (the numbers of red and blue elements in the set As,kA_{s,k} differ by at most one). This prompts reflection on various restricted versions of Erd\H {o}s' problem, obtained by imposing diverse confinements on parameters s,ks,k. In a slightly different direction, we discuss a \emph{majority} variant of the problem, in which each set As,kA_{s,k} should have an excess of elements colored differently than the first element in the set. This problem leads, unexpectedly, to some deep questions concerning completely multiplicative functions with values in {+1,1}\{+1,-1\}. In particular, whether there is such a function with partial sums bounded from above.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2005.14283,
  title  = {Reflections on the Erd\H {o}s Discrepancy Problem},
  author = {Bartłomiej Bosek and Jarosław Grytczuk},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2005.14283},
  year   = {2020}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-23T15:53:50.097Z