Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2410.14624

Sharp bound for the Erdős-Straus non-averaging set problem

Huy Tuan Pham·Dmitrii Zakharov
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

A set of integers $A$ is non-averaging if there is no element $a$ in $A$ which can be written as an average of a subset of $A$ not containing $a$. We show that the largest non-averaging subset of $\{1, \ldots, n\}$ has size $n^{1/4+o(1)}$, thus solving the Erdős-Straus problem. We also determine the largest size of a non-averaging set in a $d$-dimensional box for any fixed $d$. Our main tool includes the structure theorem for the set of subset sums due to Conlon, Fox and the first author, together with a result about the structure of a point set in nearly convex position.

Explore related subjects

math.COmath.NT

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Huy Tuan Pham, Dmitrii Zakharov. 2025-09-10. Sharp bound for the Erdős-Straus non-averaging set problem. https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.14624

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Rooted Spider Embeddings and the Erd\H os-Sós Conjecture

Under a local density condition, we prove that every $k$-edge spider embeds at any prescribed center of degree at least $k$, unless all legs are even and the host graph has one of two specified structures. These structures contain complete bipartite subgraphs with prescribed neighborhoods. The proof uses path rerouting and three exchange lemmas that describe equality in neighborhood estimates. As a consequence, we recover the Erd\H os-Sós bound for all spiders.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

Random algebraic constructions for extremal and Ramsey problems

Building on Bukh's random algebraic method, we develop a framework for extremal and Ramsey problems involving apex hypergraphs. If $\mathcal{H}$ is a $(d-1)$-partite $(d-1)$-uniform hypergraph with $S$ edges and $\mathcal{H}(t)$ is obtained by adjoining $t$ vertices with common link $\mathcal{H}$, we prove that $\operatorname{ex}(n,\mathcal{H}(t))=Ω_{\mathcal{H}}(n^{d-1/S})$ for $t>9^{S+o_d(S)}$, which is best possible when $\mathcal{H}$ is Sidorenko. Our framework also yields sharper sided Zarankiewicz bounds, quantitative generalized Tur'an bounds, and diagonal multicolor Ramsey constructions. For each fixed $s\geq 2$ and $K\geq 3$, we further prove $\operatorname{r}_K(\mathcal K_{s,t};\mathcal K_n) =Θ_{s,t,K}((n/\log n)^s)$ for $t>9^{s+o(s)}$, extending a theorem of Alon and Rödl from factorial to exponential $t$. The main ingredients are interpolation on $m$-independent varieties, control of the dependencies imposed by symmetry, and linear spaces of forms whose nonzero members remain regular after a common algebraic slice. Limited edge independence then gives the spectral and local-density estimates needed for the Ramsey application.

math.CO↗
arXiv2026

A note on vertex-critical induced subgraphs of shift graphs

Shift graphs, introduced by Erdős and Hajnal in 1964, form one of the simplest known non-recursive constructions of triangle-free graphs with arbitrarily large chromatic number. In this note, we identify a surprising property: for each integer $k \geq 1$, the smallest $k$-chromatic shift graph contains a \emph{unique} induced $k$-vertex-critical subgraph. We give an explicit description of this subgraph and prove its uniqueness. This provides a new family of vertex-critical triangle-free graphs of arbitrarily large chromatic number.

math.CO↗