Open problems from the 1970s
Results on questions first raised the 1970s, going by the earliest step each entry records.
63 AI-made results on questions first raised the 1970s, from 132 papers in the OpenAI math collection, each explained in plain English. 39 have a formal Lean proof listed; 24 are claimed in a paper and not yet machine-checked. They span 17 fields, led by algebraic and complex geometry (7), combinatorics (6) and theoretical computer science (6). The oldest question here dates back to 1970: Deterministic polynomial factorization over prime fields. Results rated Landmark include Kakeya in three and four dimensions and Fourier restriction for positively curved surfaces.
Number theory5
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Goldfeld’s conjecture: densities and mean analytic rank
Proves Goldfeld's conjecture for quadratic twists of every elliptic curve over ℚ: analytic ranks zero and one each have density 1/2, and the mean analytic rank tends to 1/2. Both statements order signed squarefree twist parameters by absolute value.
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Independent largest prime factors of consecutive integers
Resolves the Erdős–Pomerance joint Dickman conjecture: the logarithmic sizes of the largest prime factors of n and are asymptotically independent in ordinary natural density. In particular, the integers satisfying have density 1/2.
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The Margulis–Platonov conjecture over global fields
Proves the Margulis–Platonov conjecture over every global field, including function fields of characteristic two. For an absolutely almost simple simply connected algebraic group G over k, every noncentral abstract normal subgroup of is the inverse image of an open normal subgroup in the finite product of its anisotropic nonarchimedean local groups.
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Patterson's first moment for cubic Gauss sums
Proves unconditionally the all-primary-prime form of Patterson’s first-moment asymptotic: normalized cubic Gauss sums over primary Eisenstein primes of norm at most X, including both conjugates, have an explicit positive main term of order . Every fixed nonzero prime-angle Fourier mode has smaller order.
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An asymptotic formula for the number of totients
Gives an asymptotic equivalent for the number of distinct totient values up to x, with a positive bounded phase-dependent factor determined by convergent arithmetic approximations. In particular, for every fixed c > 0, answering Erdős and Hall’s scaling question.
Formal proof listed
Algebraic and complex geometry7
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Iitaka subadditivity, variation, and logarithmic additivity
Proves Campana's orbifold Iitaka subadditivity conjecture for smooth Fujiki-class- manifolds with rational simple-normal-crossing boundaries. For projective fibrations of smooth complex quasi-projective varieties with connected fibers, general fiber F, and , proves Popa's inequality , where variation measures the whole geometric generic fiber.
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Bloch’s conjecture for complex surfaces
Proves Bloch's conjecture: for every smooth connected projective complex surface S with , the Albanese map on integral degree-zero zero-cycles is an isomorphism. This combines the new theorem with the classical theorem of Bloch, Kas, and Lieberman.
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Shafarevich counterexamples in dimension two and with large fundamental group
Constructs a smooth projective complex fourfold with large fundamental group whose universal cover contains no positive-dimensional compact analytic subvariety but is neither Stein nor holomorphically convex. A separate smooth projective complex surface already disproves unrestricted Shafarevich holomorphic convexity in dimension two.
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Zariski cancellation and affine fibrations over the complex numbers
Constructs an integral complex affine fourfold with , disproving affine-space cancellation over ℂ in dimension four. It also disproves the Dolgachev–Weisfeiler affine-fibration conjecture: smooth surjections and have every residue-field fiber isomorphic to affine three-space but are not Zariski-locally trivial.
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Counterexamples to Zariski’s multiplicity conjecture
Disproves Zariski's multiplicity conjecture by constructing reduced holomorphic hypersurface germs that are ambiently homeomorphic but have different multiplicities. The examples include hypersurfaces in ℂ4 with isolated critical points and multiplicities four and five.
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The Global Spherical Shell conjecture
Every connected minimal compact complex surface of class VII with contains a global spherical shell, proving the positive-b2 Global Spherical Shell conjecture. Such a shell is a holomorphically embedded neighborhood of the standard three-sphere in whose complement is connected.
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Topological triviality of μ-constant surface singularities
Proves topological right-triviality for every holomorphic one-parameter family of isolated hypersurface singularities in ℂ3 with constant Milnor number, resolving the surface case of the μ-constant problem. After shrinking the parameter disk and representatives, ambient homeomorphisms vary jointly continuously, fix the origin section and preserve the defining functions.
Claimed, not checked
Real and complex analysis4
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Brennan's conjecture and the integral-means spectrum
Proves Brennan's conjecture: for every conformal bijection ϕ from a simply connected plane domain onto the disk, is area-integrable for . The sharp universal integral-means identity is for t ≤ −2. A strict bound for bounded univalent functions disproves Kraetzer's prediction at that parameter.
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Kakeya in three and four dimensions
Resolves the Kakeya maximal conjecture in three dimensions and the Hausdorff-dimension conjecture in four. In three dimensions, the radius-δ tube maximal operator maps to with norm for every ε > 0. In four dimensions, every set containing a unit segment in every direction has Hausdorff dimension four.
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Fourier restriction for positively curved surfaces
Proves the diagonal Fourier extension conjecture for positively curved surfaces in three dimensions. For every compact smooth positively curved surface , including surfaces with boundary, the extension operator is bounded from to for every p > 3.
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The geometric case of the Erdős similarity conjecture
For every fixed , constructs compact subsets of with measure arbitrarily close to one containing no translated and nontrivially dilated copy of , with dilations of either sign. This resolves the geometric-progression case of the Erdős similarity conjecture for every ratio.
Formal proof listed
Convex and metric geometry1
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Sharp projection-body inequalities and a counterexample to simplex maximization
Proves Petty's projection-volume conjecture in the remaining dimensions n ≥ 4: ellipsoids uniquely minimize projection-body volume at fixed body volume. Also establishes the full Lutwak–Petty projection inequalities. In contrast, products of simplices exceed Brannen's proposed simplex maximum for normalized projection-body volume by an exponential factor in every sufficiently large dimension.
Formal proof listed
Theoretical computer science6
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Exact derandomization of logarithmic space:
Proves , resolving derandomization for bounded-error logarithmic-space computation. An effective compiler converts each randomized polynomial-time logarithmic-space machine deciding a language with one-sided or two-sided error into a deterministic logarithmic-space decider with explicit polynomial running-time bounds.
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Almost-linear approximation of edit distance
For every fixed rational , gives a randomized approximation to unit-cost edit distance in worst-case expected time , with success probability at least 2/3. The strings have total length N and polynomially bounded integer symbols. This is an asymptotic guarantee at fixed accuracy.
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Polynomial-time scheduling on three identical machines
Resolves the three-processor unit-job scheduling problem of Garey and Johnson: a deterministic polynomial-time algorithm minimizes makespan for nonpreemptive unit-length jobs with arbitrary precedence constraints on three identical parallel machines. For an explicitly given precedence graph, it decides deadline feasibility exactly and constructs a feasible schedule.
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Exponential state costs for two-way automata
Proves exponential lower bounds both for complementing two-way nondeterministic finite automata and for simulating one-way nondeterministic automata by two-way deterministic ones. The latter resolves the Sakoda–Sipser state-succinctness conjecture over growing finite alphabets; both results rule out polynomial state bounds independent of alphabet size.
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Subset Sum in time
Gives a uniform randomized classical algorithm for worst-case Subset Sum in ordinary word-RAM time on polynomial-bit inputs, where n counts the integers. The time bound holds on every execution and success probability is at least 2/3 on every input. Inputs may repeat positive integers; words have bits for maximum input bit length b.
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Deterministic polynomial factorization over prime fields
Gives a uniform deterministic algorithm that completely factors every nonzero dense degree-n polynomial over a prime field 𝔽p, including multiplicities, in bit complexity polynomial in . The prime is supplied in binary. No randomness, integer-factorization or primitive-root oracle, or GRH assumption is required.
Claimed, not checked
Dynamical systems and ergodic theory2
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A C1 counterexample to the entropy conjecture
Constructs a noninvertible C1 self-map of a compact smooth manifold with zero topological entropy but eigenvalue 2 on second homology. This disproves the homological entropy lower bound for general C1 self-maps: homological growth need not force positive orbit complexity.
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Zero entropy does not guarantee a smooth positive-volume model
Constructs a zero-entropy ergodic invertible transformation of a standard nonatomic probability space that is not measurably conjugate to any C∞ diffeomorphism preserving a strictly positive smooth probability density on a compact finite-dimensional manifold. One example rules out every finite dimension.
Formal proof listed
Combinatorics6
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Counterexamples to Ryser’s covering conjecture
Disproves Ryser's covering conjecture by constructing intersecting -partite, -uniform hypergraphs with covering number , rather than the predicted bound q, for every sufficiently large prime q. A separate construction over extension fields also disproves Gyárfás's monochromatic tree-cover conjecture.
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Hindman’s finite sums and products conjecture
Proves Hindman's finite sums and products conjecture: every finite coloring of the positive integers contains sets of any prescribed finite size whose nonempty subset sums and nonempty subset products all have one common color.
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The hypercube Ramsey conjecture
Resolves the Burr–Erdős hypercube Ramsey conjecture: the two-color Ramsey number of the n-dimensional cube is . Thus every red-blue coloring of a complete graph on a universal constant times the cube's number of vertices contains a monochromatic copy of the cube.
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Classification of finite Euclidean Ramsey configurations
Classifies finite point configurations that occur monochromatically, at their original scale, in every finite coloring of sufficiently high-dimensional Euclidean space. The characterization is an algebraic condition over the coordinate field. It also disproves the Leader–Russell–Walters conjecture that every such configuration is a subset of a finite transitive set.
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Power savings for intersective polynomial differences and prime arguments
For every fixed intersective integer polynomial h of degree k ≥ 2 with positive leading coefficient, proves that a subset of avoiding nonzero values as differences has size , with depending only on degree. Here intersective means having a root modulo every modulus. For prime arguments, a power saving also holds when h has a unit root modulo every modulus, with exponent allowed to depend on h.
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Power savings for planar halving lines and k-sets
Improves the planar halving-line bound to for sets with no three collinear and an absolute ε > 0. More generally, an n-point set with no three collinear has strictly separable k-subsets for , with an absolute . The constants and positive exponents are nonquantitative.
Formal proof listed
Algebra5
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A counterexample to the small Cohen–Macaulay module conjecture
Constructs a three-dimensional complete Noetherian normal local domain over ℂ with no nonzero finitely generated maximal Cohen–Macaulay module. A three-dimensional local domain essentially of finite type over ℂ has the same property, disproving the domain form of the small Cohen–Macaulay module conjecture.
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A torsion-free group algebra that is not directly finite
Constructs a finitely presented torsion-free nonsofic group whose group algebra over 𝔽2 is not directly finite, disproving Kaplansky's conjecture even without torsion. Companion examples give injective nonsurjective cellular automata on all configurations, refuting Gottschalk's surjunctivity conjecture. Another counterexample is an integral group-ring matrix, invertible over the rational group ring, with Fuglede–Kadison determinant strictly between zero and one, disproving the unrestricted Determinant Conjecture.
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Counterexamples to Auslander–Reiten, Tachikawa and related homological conjectures
Constructs finite-dimensional algebras over a characteristic-two rational-function field that disprove the Auslander–Reiten and Gorenstein-projective conjectures, and Tachikawa's second conjecture. An associated endomorphism algebra also disproves the classical, generalized and strong Nakayama conjectures, the Auslander–Gorenstein conjecture, and the Wakamatsu tilting conjecture. The counterexamples persist under every extension of the base field.
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The ℓ¹-Bass conjecture for all discrete groups
Proves the ℓ1-Bass conjecture for every discrete group: Hattori–Stallings traces of idempotent matrices over are supported on finitely many finite-order conjugacy classes. The algebraic companion proves the integral Bass trace conjecture and Kaplansky's idempotent conjecture for torsion-free groups over every commutative unital characteristic-zero domain.
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Integral counterexamples to Gersten’s conjecture
Disproves unrestricted integral Gersten injectivity in degrees 3 and 5. Two explicit two-dimensional ramified regular local rings of mixed characteristic have nonzero integral K-theory classes that vanish over their fraction fields.
Claimed, not checked
Probability and statistical mechanics5
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Canonical continuum limit and exact mass asymptotics
Constructs the canonical continuum limit of the two-dimensional nearest-neighbor model: a non-Gaussian local relativistic theory with a unique vacuum and a positive mass gap. For the square-lattice model, determines the exact leading asymptotic of the full transfer gap, . The family also proves exponential spin-correlation decay for two-dimensional nearest-neighbor models with n ≥ 3 at every positive temperature.
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Critical and near-critical XY scaling and BKT universality
For the square-lattice nearest-neighbor cosine XY model, proves critical axis correlations and the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless essential singularity , with after the free-box thermodynamic limit. For finite square-symmetric interactions containing nearest neighbors, discrete Gaussian heights converge to Gaussian fields throughout the rough phase, including its threshold, along geometric torus sizes. Critical center-magnetization and spin-field conclusions retain their stated height, renormalization, and field-input assumptions.
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Critical SK autocorrelation processes and dynamics across the temperature transition
For zero-field Gaussian SK heat-bath dynamics with rate-one updates per spin, proves worst-start cutoff on the scale for fixed , mixing time at β = 1, and stretched-exponential mixing from a Gibbs-sampled fixed starting configuration for β > 1, in probability over disorder. At criticality, rescaled stationary and quench autocorrelation processes have universal random limits for Gaussian and Rademacher disorder; the quench limit relaxes to the stationary limit.
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Continuum phase transitions for radial pair potentials
Constructs stable distance-dependent pair interactions for three-dimensional classical particles with a first-order phase transition: the canonical free energy has a derivative jump at one inverse temperature throughout an open density interval. One potential has a divergent repulsive core; another is bounded and continuous with an integrable power-law tail, realizing the type of transition sought in Simon's continuum problem.
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All-temperature pressure of orthogonally invariant Ising spin glasses
Gives an exact variational formula for the limiting pressure of orthogonally invariant Ising spin glasses at every fixed temperature, both almost surely and in expectation. The coupling matrix is a Haar-random rotation of a deterministic spectrum converging to a compactly supported law, with extreme eigenvalues converging to its support edges. The zero-field ground-state energy follows as temperature tends to zero.
Formal proof listed
Mathematical logic1
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Single-fold Diophantine representations and undecidability under an at-most-one-solution promise
Every recursively enumerable set of tuples of natural numbers has a Diophantine representation with exactly one auxiliary solution for each member and none for nonmembers. This proves the single-fold conjecture and hence the finite-fold conjecture. Diophantine solvability over the nonnegative integers remains undecidable even with an at-most-one-solution promise.
Formal proof listed
Group theory3
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Thompson's group F is nonamenable
Proves that Thompson's group F, the group of dyadic piecewise linear homeomorphisms of the interval, is nonamenable, resolving its longstanding amenability problem.
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Boone–Higman embeddings with higher finiteness
A finitely generated group has decidable word problem exactly when it embeds in a finitely presented simple group, proving the Boone–Higman conjecture. The target can have type F∞: a classifying space with finitely many cells in each dimension. A single group of type F∞ can also contain every finitely presented group.
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Classifying spaces and geometric obstructions for Artin groups
The Salvetti complex of every finite-rank Artin group is aspherical, proving the Artin conjecture. Arbitrary intersections of its parabolic subgroups are parabolic, proving the Parabolic Intersection Conjecture. An explicit Artin group admits no proper cocompact isometric action on any nonempty proper CAT space.
Formal proof listed
Mathematical physics3
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Spacetime Penrose inequalities: enclosing area, charge, rotation, and anti-de Sitter extensions
Proves the sharp enclosing-area spacetime Penrose inequality for smooth one-ended asymptotically flat initial data in every spatial dimension n ≥ 3, under dominant energy, weak future trapping, positive enclosing area, and the stated decay assumptions. It bounds invariant ADM mass below using minimum enclosing area, with equality rigidity under additional horizon hypotheses. Charged upper-area bounds treat dyonic three-dimensional data; the higher-dimensional purely electric extension uses the matched neutral theorem.
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Sharp finite-matrix Lieb–Thirring inequalities and all equality cases
Proves the sharp one-dimensional Lieb–Thirring inequality for and arbitrary finite-matrix potentials W ≥ 0 with : the optimal constant is the scalar one-bound-state value, independent of matrix size. All equality cases are direct sums, in one constant unitary basis, of scalar sech2 solitons with independent scales and centers, and zero channels.
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Strong cosmic censorship near two-ended Kerr data
Proves local strong cosmic censorship near each fixed rotating subextremal Kerr bridge. A dense Gδ subset of a weighted smooth neighborhood of smooth complete two-ended asymptotically flat vacuum data has full maximal globally hyperbolic developments with no future continuous nondegenerate extension whose weak connection is locally square-integrable. No symmetry is imposed; extensions need not satisfy the vacuum equations.
Claimed, not checked
Operator algebras2
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Strong Kadison–Kastler stability and its spatial boundaries
Proves that sufficiently close unital von Neumann algebras on the same Hilbert space are conjugate by a unitary arbitrarily close to the identity, with a universal tolerance in the operator-norm distance between unit balls. Counterexamples show that near-identity conjugacy fails for one-sided near inclusions, and that arbitrarily close norm-separable C∗-algebras need not be ambiently unitarily conjugate.
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Invariant projections, hyperinvariant subspaces, and transitive algebras
Constructs a nonzero norm-quasinilpotent operator on every infinite-dimensional separable complex Hilbert space with no nonzero proper closed subspace invariant under every commuting operator. The construction also gives operators with no nontrivial invariant projection in the hyperfinite type II1 factor.
Formal proof listed
Topology5
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Finite Smith–Toda complexes at every height
For every n ≥ 0, constructs a finite Smith–Toda spectrum at a prime p depending on n, with Brown–Peterson homology and the canonical comodule structure. Thus Smith–Toda complexes exist at every height when the prime may vary; an explicit example realizes at p = 1009.
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The Kervaire invariant problem at the prime three
Resolves the odd-primary Kervaire invariant problem at the prime three: exactly the standard classes with indices 0, 2, and 3 survive in the mod-three Adams spectral sequence, in stems 10, 106, and 322. Each surviving detection coset contains an element of exact additive order three.
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Quillen's conjecture in rational homology
Proves the rational-homology form of Quillen's conjecture for every finite group and every prime. If the largest normal p-subgroup of G is trivial, the poset of nontrivial elementary abelian p-subgroups has nonzero augmented reduced rational homology and is therefore not contractible.
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The four-dimensional Singer conjecture
Proves that the L2-Betti numbers of the universal cover of every closed connected aspherical topological four-manifold vanish outside degree two. More generally, the same conclusion holds for every finite connected aspherical integral Poincaré complex of formal dimension four, proving the four-dimensional Singer conjecture in this wider class.
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Curtis’s conjecture
Proves Curtis’s conjecture: the positive-degree mod-two stable Hurewicz image of the sphere is spanned by the images of the Hopf-invariant-one classes η, ν, σ and the Kervaire-invariant-one classes that exist.
Claimed, not checked
Functional analysis2
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Lipschitz equivalent Banach spaces need not be linearly isomorphic
Constructs separable real Banach spaces that are globally bi-Lipschitz equivalent but not linearly isomorphic, resolving the separable Lipschitz-isomorphism problem negatively. Thus even the complete metric structure up to bi-Lipschitz equivalence does not determine a separable Banach space's linear isomorphism class.
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A counterexample to metric-entropy duality
Disproves Pietsch's dimension-free duality conjecture for metric entropy. Origin-symmetric convex bodies violate every proposed choice of universal constants in the conjectured comparison between covering numbers and those of the polar bodies, even when the covering body is a cube.
Formal proof listed
Differential geometry3
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A smooth surface metric with no local isometric immersion in ℝ3
Constructs a smooth positive-definite metric on for which no neighborhood of the origin admits a smooth isometric immersion into ℝ3. This answers the unrestricted smooth local isometric realization problem for surfaces negatively, even after shrinking the neighborhood.
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Sharp singular-set bounds for stationary integral varifolds
Proves that every stationary integral m-varifold in a Euclidean open set has singular set of Hausdorff dimension at most , a sharp bound in every positive dimension and codimension. On round spheres, the family also proves almost-everywhere regularity: the singular set has zero m-dimensional Hausdorff measure.
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Affine Bernstein rigidity through dimension nine and a smooth dimension-ten counterexample
Proves that every smooth locally uniformly convex affine-maximal graph of dimension three through nine, complete for its induced Euclidean metric, is an elliptic paraboloid. A smooth entire nonquadratic example in dimension ten makes this range sharp. In dimensions three through nine, the paraboloid classification also holds for connected open locally uniformly convex affine-maximal hypersurfaces complete for the affine Berwald–Blaschke metric.
Formal proof listed
Partial differential equations3
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Kinetic limits and fluctuations over the Boltzmann lifespan
Derives the nonlinear Boltzmann equation from three-dimensional grand-canonical Newtonian gases throughout every regular kinetic interval with uniform Gaussian decay. Stable finite-range radial potentials may have attractive wells and a singular repulsive core; initial pair exclusion and spatially summable Gaussian density and gradient bounds are assumed. A companion gives finite-dimensional hard-sphere Gaussian fluctuations, centered at the exact microscopic expectation and governed by the linear fluctuating Boltzmann equation.
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The hot spots conjecture for simply connected planar domains
Proves a strict form of Burdzy's simply connected hot spots conjecture. On every smooth bounded simply connected planar domain, each nonzero eigenfunction for the first positive Neumann eigenvalue has no interior critical point, so all global extrema lie on the boundary. Eigenvalue multiplicity is allowed.
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De Giorgi's conjecture in dimension eight
Proves De Giorgi's conjecture at its sharp dimension-eight endpoint: every entire C2 solution of that is strictly increasing in one direction depends on only one linear coordinate. A stronger theorem classifies all stable entire solutions as constant wells or planar transitions, without an energy-growth assumption.
Claimed, not checked