Physics Practical Magic

A legendary unsolved math problem from the famous Paul Erdős has been solved using a workflow where ChatGPT proposed the strategy and a computer-logic assistant verified the final proof.

March 31, 2026

Original Paper

Optimal bounds for an Erdős problem on matching integers to distinct multiples

Wouter van Doorn, Yanyang Li, Quanyu Tang

arXiv · 2603.28636

The Takeaway

Erdős problems are notoriously difficult and often remain unsolved for decades. This marks a significant milestone where AI didn't just crunch numbers, but successfully architected a high-level logical strategy for a complex mathematical breakthrough.

From the abstract

Let $f(m)$ be the largest integer such that for every set $A = \{a_1 < \cdots < a_m\}$ of $m$ positive integers and every open interval $I$ of length $2a_m$, there exist at least $f(m)$ disjoint pairs $(a, b)$ with $a \in A$ dividing $b \in I$. Solving a problem of Erdős, we determine $f(m)$ exactly, and show $$ f(m)=\min\bigl(m,\lceil 2\sqrt{m}\,\rceil\bigr) $$ for all $m$. The proof was obtained through an AI-assisted workflow: the proof strategy was first proposed by ChatGPT, and the detailed