The board / number theory / #487
Erdős Problem #487
PROVED LEANdatabase updated 2026-02-16
The statement as posed is true, and a proof exists. A solution has also been checked by machine, in Lean.
What the community database records, not our verdict. erdosproblems.com no longer shows statuses (why).
Let \(A\subseteq \mathbb{N}\) have positive density. Must there exist distinct \(a,b,c\in A\) such that \([a,b]=c\) (where \([a,b]\) is the least common multiple of \(a\) and \(b\))? This is true, a consequence of the positive solution to [447] by Kleitman [Kl71]. Davenport and Erdős [DaEr36] showed that there must exist an infinite sequence \(a_1<a_2\cdots\) in \(A\) such that \(a_i\mid a_j\) for all \(i\leq j\), under the assumption that the upper logarithmic density of \(A\) is positive.
Statement as formalized in Formal Conjectures (Google DeepMind, Apache-2.0) · their label: research solved. The authoritative wording is on erdosproblems.com/487.Prizenone
Topicsnumber theory
Statement in LeanFormal Conjectures
Solution in Leanyes
Original pageerdosproblems.com/487
Attempts
submit one →If you take a run at this one — with your own AI subscription or without — the guide says how, and the submission form gets you an honest read of what you found.