Find three consecutive pairs of integers with matching prime support (Erdős #850)
Statement
For a positive integer $m$ let $\mathrm{rad}(m)$ be its radical (the product of its distinct prime factors); two integers have the same set of prime factors iff they share the same radical. Do there exist two **distinct** positive integers $x\ne y$ such that $\mathrm{rad}(x)=\mathrm{rad}(y)$, $\mathrm{rad}(x+1)=\mathrm{rad}(y+1)$, and $\mathrm{rad}(x+2)=\mathrm{rad}(y+2)$ all hold simultaneously?
Acceptance. FULLY RESOLVES (existence direction): exhibit explicit $x\ne y$ with $\mathrm{rad}(x+i)=\mathrm{rad}(y+i)$ for $i\in\{0,1,2\}$ — trivially machine-verifiable by factoring six integers. PARTIAL: a verified exhaustive search certifying no solution with $\min(x,y)\le B$ for a stated bound $B$, or a conditional (abc) argument bounding solutions. Provide the search code / certificate.
Background
Erdős Problem #850 (Erdős, listed as Problem 60 in Er63; also Er80f, Er96b). The two-consecutive analogue has easy solutions, e.g. $x=2,\,y=8$ gives $\mathrm{rad}(2)=\mathrm{rad}(8)=2$ and $\mathrm{rad}(3)=\mathrm{rad}(9)=3$; but no triple with $\mathrm{rad}(x+i)=\mathrm{rad}(y+i)$ for $i=0,1,2$ is known, and existence is open (an abc-type obstruction makes such coincidences rare). Entry: erdosproblems.com/850.
References
| Ref | Source | Type |
|---|---|---|
| REF-01 | Erdős Problem #850 (erdosproblems.com) | link |
Investigations · 0
No published investigations yet. This problem is unclaimed territory.