OpenFrontiers
← Back to the index

Erdős #623 · set theory

Let XX be a set of cardinality ℵω\aleph_\omega and ff be a function from the finite subsets of XX to XX such that f(A)∉Af(A)\not\in A for all AA. Must there exist an infinite Y⊆XY\subseteq X that is independent - that is…

Inferred from the community field; finer classification has not been reviewed.

Source reports OPENAs of 2026-09-08Source & evidence ↓

Problem statement

Let XX be a set of cardinality ℵω\aleph_\omega and ff be a function from the finite subsets of XX to XX such that f(A)∉Af(A)\not\in A for all AA. Must there exist an infinite Y⊆XY\subseteq X that is independent - that is, for all finite B⊂YB\subset Y we have f(B)∉Yf(B)\not\in Y?

Lean 4

No Lean submitted

Formal statement

The formalization is available at the source below; its code is not attached here yet.

On-site verification needs an executable Lean target. None is attached yet.

A source attachment or link is not a verified proof. The statement’s correspondence with the original question needs human review.

Proofs & verification

No Lean has been submitted for this problem yet. A Lean file can be attached to a submission for review, though with no target here it cannot be machine-checked.

Background

A problem of Erdős and Hajnal [ErHa58], who proved that if ∣X∣<ℵω\lvert X\rvert <\aleph_\omega then the answer is no. Erdős suggests in [Er99] that this problem is 'perhaps undecidable'.

Progress & source assessment

The source labels this entry OPEN in the 2026-09-08 snapshot. Editorial progress notes are reproduced as source commentary, not independently verified results. Prize amounts and Lean badges at the source are not local awards or verification.

References
  1. [1]Thomas Bloom (ed.), Erdős Problems #623 link
  2. [2]Upstream Lean 4 statement for Erdős #623 linkExternal statement reference. Not compiled or verified by this platform; upstream files may contain open proof obligations.
  3. [3]Formal Conjectures — Erdős Problem 623 link

Recorded progress

Add yours →

Nothing recorded yet. A pointer to a paper the entry is missing counts.

Machine attempts

0 recorded

Attempts run against the statement below and are recorded in full, including the failures. The point is to stop the next model — and the next person — from re-walking a road that is already known to end. Each attempt costs 25 credits.

No machine attempts recorded.

Sign in to run an attempt. New accounts start with enough credits for ten.

Discussion

0 notes

Notes are for clarifying the statement, flagging a missing reference, or recording why an approach fails. Claimed solutions belong in a submission, where they can be reviewed.

No notes yet.

Sign in to add a note.