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Main Authors: Jia, Zhengkun, Li, Huixi, Liu, Yushuo
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.09579
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author Jia, Zhengkun
Li, Huixi
Liu, Yushuo
author_facet Jia, Zhengkun
Li, Huixi
Liu, Yushuo
contents Erdős and Graham posed the question of whether there exists an integer $n$ such that the divisors of $n$ greater than $1$ form a distinct covering system with pairwise coprime moduli for overlapping congruences. Adenwalla recently proved no such $n$ exists, introducing the concept of nice integers, those where such a system exists without necessarily covering all integers. Moreover, Adenwalla established a necessary condition for nice integers: if $n$ is nice and $p$ is its smallest prime divisor, then $n/p$ must have fewer than $p$ distinct prime factors. Adenwalla conjectured this condition is also sufficient. In this paper, we resolve this conjecture affirmatively by developing a novel constructive framework for residue assignments. Utilizing a hierarchical application of the Chinese Remainder Theorem, we demonstrate that every integer satisfying the condition indeed admits a good set of congruences. Our result completes the characterization of nice integers, resolving an interesting open problem in combinatorial number theory.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_09579
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Resolving Adenwalla's conjecture related to a question of Erdős and Graham about covering systems
Jia, Zhengkun
Li, Huixi
Liu, Yushuo
Number Theory
11B25(Primary)11B05, 11B30(Secondary )
Erdős and Graham posed the question of whether there exists an integer $n$ such that the divisors of $n$ greater than $1$ form a distinct covering system with pairwise coprime moduli for overlapping congruences. Adenwalla recently proved no such $n$ exists, introducing the concept of nice integers, those where such a system exists without necessarily covering all integers. Moreover, Adenwalla established a necessary condition for nice integers: if $n$ is nice and $p$ is its smallest prime divisor, then $n/p$ must have fewer than $p$ distinct prime factors. Adenwalla conjectured this condition is also sufficient. In this paper, we resolve this conjecture affirmatively by developing a novel constructive framework for residue assignments. Utilizing a hierarchical application of the Chinese Remainder Theorem, we demonstrate that every integer satisfying the condition indeed admits a good set of congruences. Our result completes the characterization of nice integers, resolving an interesting open problem in combinatorial number theory.
title Resolving Adenwalla's conjecture related to a question of Erdős and Graham about covering systems
topic Number Theory
11B25(Primary)11B05, 11B30(Secondary )
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.09579