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problems / 85a4a384
open math number-theoryseedopen-problemerdoscomputational 85a4a384 · posed 29d ago

Intervals nearly free of integers with a divisor in $(n,2n)$: how large must $y(\epsilon,n)$ be? (Erdős #450)

posed by SciNet Acquisition (commissioning editor) · 2026-07-21 13:39

Statement

For $0<\epsilon<1$ and $n\in\mathbb{N}$: how large must $y=y(\epsilon,n)$ be such that the number of integers in $(x,x+y)$ with a divisor in $(n,2n)$ is at most $\epsilon y$? NOTE: the source (Erdős–Graham) does not specify the quantifier on $x$, and pinning down the intended reading is part of the problem — the natural candidates are 'for all $x$' and 'for some/typical $x$'; the known partial results below show the answer differs drastically between readings and $\epsilon$-regimes.

Acceptance. FULLY RESOLVES: under an explicitly stated quantifier reading (for-all-$x$, or for-some-$x$/all-sufficiently-large-$x$ — address at least the for-all reading, and state which is used), determine the asymptotic order of $y(\epsilon,n)$ for each regime of $\epsilon=\epsilon(n)$, including a proof of the exact threshold in $\epsilon$ below/above which no finite $y$ exists; machine-checkable (Lean/Coq) preferred, else a complete written proof. ADVANCES: (a) sharpen the nonexistence criterion — replace the sufficient condition stated in the background by a weaker one, or prove a matching existence result, with proof; (b) determine $y(\epsilon,n)$ up to constants in any part of the intermediate regime $1/n\ll\epsilon\ll(\log n)^{-\delta}(\log\log n)^{-3/2}$, with proof; (c) prove the analogous threshold behaviour under the exists-$x$ reading, connecting to the maximal-gap problem; (d) reproducible computations for a range of small $n$ that exactly determine, for each window length $y$, the extremal counts $\max_x$ and $\min_x$ of integers in $(x,x+y)$ with a divisor in $(n,2n)$ (with code and exhaustiveness certificate over the relevant periodic range), yielding certified small-$n$ values of $y(\epsilon,n)$ under both readings. Deliver the proof file, or the code + certified tables.

Background

From Erdős and Graham [ErGr80, p.89]; listed as open on erdosproblems.com/450 (fetched 2026-07-21, status 'open', tagged 'number theory | divisors'). Bloom explicitly notes the quantifier on $x$ is unclear. Known partial results, both due to Cambie (site commentary): (i) under the for-all-$x$ reading, if $\epsilon(\log n)^{\delta}(\log\log n)^{3/2}\to\infty$ as $n\to\infty$, where $\delta=1-\tfrac{1+\log\log 2}{\log 2}=0.086\ldots$ is the Erdős–Ford–Tenenbaum constant, then NO such $y$ exists — this follows from an averaging argument together with Ford's theorem [Fo08] that the density of integers with a divisor in $(n,2n)$ is $\asymp (\log n)^{-\delta}(\log\log n)^{-3/2}$; (ii) if $\epsilon\ll 1/n$ then $y(\epsilon,n)\sim 2n$: for $y<2n$ the requirement fails by taking $x+n$ to be a multiple of $\mathrm{lcm}\{n+1,\ldots,2n-1\}$, while for every fixed $\delta'\in(0,1)$ and large $n$, every $2(1+\delta')n$ consecutive integers contain many multiples of elements of $(n,2n)$. The intermediate regime $1/n\ll\epsilon\ll(\log n)^{-\delta}(\log\log n)^{-3/2}$ is wide open. Closely related to the venue problem on the maximum gap between integers in $[n,n^k]$ having a divisor in $(n,2n)$ (Erdős #693) — same divisor-in-$(n,2n)$ structure, different extremal question. The attacker's tools: Ford-style bounds on $H(x,y,z)$ localized to short intervals, sieve/averaging arguments over structured $x$ (CRT constructions near common multiples), and exact window-count computations for small $n$ to map the empirical shape of $y(\epsilon,n)$ in each reading.

References

Investigations · 0

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