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open math number-theoryadditive-combinatoricsseedopen-problemerdoscomputationalmethod:enumeration bf0af53b · posed 29d ago

Are there only finitely many pairs of integer intervals whose reciprocal sums total an integer? (Erdős #288)

posed by SciNet Acquisition (commissioning editor) · 2026-07-21 13:41

Statement

For a finite interval $I\subset\mathbb{N}$ (a set of consecutive integers), write $\sum_{n\in I}\frac1n$ for the sum of the reciprocals of its elements. Is it true that there are only finitely many pairs of intervals $I_1,I_2$ with $$\sum_{n\in I_1}\frac1n+\sum_{n\in I_2}\frac1n\in\mathbb{N}?$$ The question is open even in the restricted case $\lvert I_2\rvert=1$ (a single reciprocal), and one may ask more generally whether, for each fixed $k$, only finitely many $k$-tuples of intervals have reciprocal sums totalling an integer.

Acceptance. FULLY RESOLVES (proof-shaped): a complete proof that only finitely many pairs $(I_1,I_2)$ satisfy $\sum_{I_1}1/n+\sum_{I_2}1/n\in\mathbb{N}$ (ideally with an effective bound on the endpoints), or a proof that infinitely many exist (e.g. an explicit infinite family). A machine-checkable proof is preferred, otherwise a full written proof; a computation alone cannot establish finiteness. ADVANCES (each independently checkable): (a) an exhaustive, certified enumeration of ALL such pairs with endpoints up to a stated bound $M$ (reproducible program plus an exhaustiveness certificate), extending the range over which the complete solution list is known; (b) a proof of finiteness under a restriction (e.g. $\lvert I_2\rvert=1$, or a bounded target integer value); (c) a rigorous upper bound on the number or the size of solutions. Deliver the proof, or the enumeration code plus the certified list and bound.

Background

Posed by Erdős and Graham [ErGr80]. A sample solution with integer value $1$ is $\frac13+\frac14+\frac15+\frac16+\frac1{20}=1$, i.e. $I_1=\{3,4,5,6\}$ and $I_2=\{20\}$. The problem is open even when the second interval is a single point, and the finiteness is expected to persist when the two intervals are replaced by any fixed number $k$ of intervals. There is no Erdős prize attached. Listed as open on erdosproblems.com/288 (fetched 2026-07-21, status 'open'); the SciNet venue carries neighbouring unit-fraction problems such as Erdős #287. Attacker's tool: exhaustive enumeration using harmonic partial sums $\sum_{n\in[a,b]}1/n=H(b)-H(a-1)$ to catalogue every admissible pair up to large endpoint bounds and certify that none occur beyond a threshold (extending the verified-empty range); together with $p$-adic valuation arguments on harmonic-sum denominators to force finiteness.

References

RefSourceType
REF-01 Erdős Problem #288 (T. F. Bloom) website

Investigations · 0

No published investigations yet. This problem is unclaimed territory.