Related papers: Variations on the Erd\H{o}s distinct-sums problem
A set of integers greater than 1 is primitive if no member in the set divides another. Erd\H{o}s proved in 1935 that the series $f(A) = \sum_{a\in A}1/(a \log a)$ is uniformly bounded over all choices of primitive sets $A$. In 1986 he asked…
We consider some coloring issues related to the famous Erd\H {o}s Discrepancy Problem. A set of the form $A_{s,k}=\{s,2s,\dots,ks\}$, with $s,k\in \mathbb{N}$, is called a \emph{homogeneous arithmetic progression}. We prove that for every…
Let $f(N)$ denote the least integer $k$ such that, if $G$ is an abelian group of order $N$ and $A \subseteq G$ is a uniformly random $k$-element subset, then with probability at least $\tfrac12$ the subset-sum set $\{ \sum_{x \in S} x : S…
We show that if $A=\{a_1,a_2,..., a_k\}$ is a monotone increasing set of numbers, and the differences of the consecutive elements are all distinct, then $|A+B|\geq c|A|^{1/2}|B|$ for any finite set of numbers $B$. The bound is tight up to…
We give a short and elementary argument answering a question of Erd\H{o}s and Ingham negatively. Erd\H{o}s and Ingham showed that a Tauberian estimate they considered was equivalent to the non-vanishing of $1+\sum_{k}a_k^{-1-it}$ for any…
Since their introduction by Erd\H{o}s in 1950, covering systems (that is, finite collections of arithmetic progressions that cover the integers) have been extensively studied, and numerous questions and conjectures have been posed regarding…
In this paper we obtain a new lower bound on the Erd\H{o}s distinct distances problem in the plane over prime fields. More precisely, we show that for any set $A\subset \mathbb{F}_p^2$ with $|A|\le p^{7/6}$, the number of distinct distances…
We develop novel techniques which allow us to prove a diverse range of results relating to subset sums and complete sequences of positive integers, including solutions to several longstanding open problems. These include: solutions to the…
For an even integer $k$, let $r_{2k}(n)$ be the number of representations of $n$ as a sum of $2k$ squares. The quantity $r_{2k}(n)$ is appoximated by the classical singular series $\rho_{2k}(n) \asymp n^{k-1}$. Deligne's bound on the…
Using elementary methods, we determine the highest power of 2 dividing a power sum 1^n + 2^n + . . . + m^n, generalizing Lengyel's formula for the case where m is itself a power of 2. An application is a simple proof of Moree's result that,…
We show that the optimal constant in Erd\"{o}s' sum-free subset theorem cannot be larger than $11/28 \approx .393$.
From the Rhind Papyrus and other extant sources, we know that the ancient Egyptians were very iterested in expressing a given fraction into a sum of unit fractions, that is fractions whose numerators are equal to 1. One of the problems that…
A set $A$ of natural numbers possesses property $\mathcal{P}_h$, if there are no distinct elements $a_0,a_1,\dots ,a_h\in A$ with $a_0$ dividing the product $a_1a_2\dots a_h$. Erd\H{o}s determined the maximum size of a subset of…
In 1930s Paul Erdos conjectured that for any positive integer $C$ in any infinite $\pm 1$ sequence $(x_n)$ there exists a subsequence $x_d, x_{2d}, x_{3d},\dots, x_{kd}$, for some positive integers $k$ and $d$, such that $\mid \sum_{i=1}^k…
Professor Georges Rhin considers a nonzero algebraic integer $\a$ with conjugates $\a_1=\a, \ldots, \a_d$ and asks what can be said about $\d \sum_{ | \a_i | >1} | \a_i |$, that we denote ${\rm{R}}(\a)$. If $\a$ is supposed to be a totally…
Let $h\geq 2$ be a positive integer. For any subset $\mathcal{A}\subset \mathbb{Z}_n$, let $h^{\wedge}\mathcal{A}$ be the set of the elements of $\mathbb{Z}_n$ which are sums of $h$ distinct elements of $\mathcal{A}$. In this paper, we…
Given a set $A=\{a_1,\ldots,a_n\}$ of real numbers and real coefficients $b_1,\ldots,b_n$, consider the distribution of the sum obtained by pairing the $a_i$'s with the $b_i$'s according to a uniformly random permutation. A recent theorem…
It is an open question of Erd\H{o}s as to whether the alternating series $\sum_{n=1}^\infty \frac{(-1)^n n}{p_n}$ is (conditionally) convergent, where $p_n$ denotes the $n^{\mathrm{th}}$ prime. By using a random sifted model of the primes…
Let f(n) denote the smallest positive integer such that every set of $f(n)$ points in general position in the Euclidean plane contains a convex n-gon. In a seminal paper published in 1935, Erd\H{o}s and Szekeres proved that f(n) exists and…
We study divisibility properties of certain sums and alternating sums involving binomial coefficients and powers of integers. For example, we prove that for all positive integers $n_1,..., n_m$, $n_{m+1}=n_1$, and any nonnegative integer…