Related papers: A simple solution to Ulam's liar game with one lie
An Ulam sequence U(1,n) is defined as the sequence starting with integers 1,n such that n > 1, and such that every subsequent term is the smallest integer that can be written as the sum of distinct previous terms in exactly one way. This…
An unknown positive number of items arrive at independent uniformly distributed times in the interval [0,1] to a selector, whose task is to pick online the last one. We show that under the assumption of an adversary determining the number…
This paper presents a solution to the Knights and Spies Problem: In a room there are n people, each labelled with a unique number between 1 and n. A person may either be a knight or a spy. Knights always tell the truth, while spies may…
Consider $n$ independent random numbers with a uniform distribution on $[0,1]$. The number of them that exceed their mean is shown to have an Eulerian distribution, i.e., it is described by the Eulerian numbers. This is related to, but…
It is conjectured that for any fixed relatively prime positive integers $a,b$ and $c$ all greater than 1 there is at most one solution to the equation $a^x+b^y=c^z$ in positive integers $x,y$ and $z$, except for specific cases. We develop…
An essential element of human mathematical reasoning is our number sense -- an abstract understanding of numbers and their relationships -- which allows us to solve problems involving vast number spaces using limited computational…
The locker puzzle is a game played by multiple players against a referee. It has been previously shown that the best strategy that exists cannot succeed with probability greater than 1-ln2 \approx 0.31, no matter how many players are…
We explore uncertainty quantification in large language models (LLMs), with the goal to identify when uncertainty in responses given a query is large. We simultaneously consider both epistemic and aleatoric uncertainties, where the former…
This document seeks to prove there are infinitely many primes whose difference is 2, referred to as twin prime pairs. This proof's methodology involves constructing a function that approximates the number of positive integers, less than a…
We introduce a guessing game, permutation Wordle, in which a guesser attempts to recover a hidden permutation in $S_n$. In each round, the guesser guesses a permutation (using information from previous rounds) and is told which entries of…
Large Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated exceptional capabilities, yet selecting the most reliable response from multiple LLMs remains a challenge, particularly in resource-constrained settings. Existing approaches often depend on…
We present several results on counting untyped lambda terms, i.e., on telling how many terms belong to such or such class, according to the size of the terms and/or to the number of free variables.
We propose a two-agent game wherein a questioner must be able to conjure discerning questions between sentences, incorporate responses from an answerer, and keep track of a hypothesis state. The questioner must be able to understand the…
It is well known that $\sum_{p\le n} 1/p =\ln(\ln(n)) + O(1)$ where $p$ goes over the primes. We give several known proofs of this. We first present a a proof that $\ge \ln(\ln(n)) + O(1)$. This is based on Euler's proof that $\sum_p 1/p$…
We show that the number of integer solutions for a pair of bilinear equations in at least 2*6 variables has (up to logarithms) the expected upper bound unless there is a structural reason why it is not the case.
For a natural language problem that requires some non-trivial reasoning to solve, there are at least two ways to do it using a large language model (LLM). One is to ask it to solve it directly. The other is to use it to extract the facts…
A set is said to tile the integers if and only if the integers can be written as a disjoint union of translates of that set. We consider the problem of finding necessary and sufficient conditions for a finite set to tile the integers. For…
We close the gap in the proof (published by Chen and Lin) of formulas for the minimum number of questions required in the expected case for Mastermind and its variant called AB game, where both games are played with two pegs and $n$ colors.…
Simple games cover voting systems in which a single alternative, such as a bill or an amendment, is pitted against the status quo. A simple game or a yes-no voting system is a set of rules that specifies exactly which collections of ``yea''…
In the gift exchange game there are n players and n wrapped gifts. When a player's number is called, that person can either choose one of the remaining wrapped gifts, or can "steal" a gift from someone who has already unwrapped it, subject…