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Research notes on every problem, and a library of the papers behind them. Built from the open erdos repository.

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Claim. For a solution (P,Q)(P,Q) of Problem 307, the products n=∏Pn=\prod P and m=∏Qm=\prod Q satisfy n′=mn'=m and m′=nm'=n, where x↦x′x\mapsto x' is the arithmetic derivative: for squarefree nn, n′=n∑p∈P1/pn'=n\sum_{p\in P}1/p, which is the problem page's N(P)=∏QN(P)=\prod Q, and likewise m′=N(Q)=∏Pm'=N(Q)=\prod P. So a solution is a two-cycle of the arithmetic derivative that is not a fixed point. Kovič (§3.2, pp. 7--9) proves the following of such cycles, after recalling Ufnarovski and Åhlander's result (J. Integer Seq. 6 (2003)) that the two members are squarefree with disjoint sets of prime factors.

  • Proposition 16 (p. 8): the system n′=mn'=m, m′=nm'=n has no solution with both mm and nn products of two primes; so no solution has ∣P∣=∣Q∣=2|P|=|Q|=2.
  • A computer search (p. 8) found no solution of x′′=xx''=x with x<10000x<10000; the fixed points ppp^p, which also satisfy it, are excluded tacitly. So both products of a solution are at least 10410^4.
  • Proposition 17 (p. 8): if n′=mn'=m, m′=nm'=n and the smaller member n<mn<m is odd, then nn has at least nine prime factors and n>3⋅5⋅7⋅11⋅13⋅17⋅19⋅23⋅29n>3\cdot5\cdot7\cdot11\cdot13\cdot17\cdot19\cdot23\cdot29. So 2∉P2\notin P with ∏P<∏Q\prod P<\prod Q forces ∣P∣≥9|P|\ge9.
  • Proposition 19 (p. 9): if both members are odd, with r1r_1 and s1s_1 the numbers of prime factors of nn congruent to 11 and to −1-1 modulo 44, and r2r_2, s2s_2 the same for mm, then (r1−s1)(r2−s2)≡1(mod4)(r_1-s_1)(r_2-s_2)\equiv1\pmod 4.

Covers. These necessary conditions, each of which refutes every solution it excludes: a partial no to the existence question. Not covered: whether a solution exists. Proposition 18 (p. 8), which asserts r+s≥34r+s\ge34 for the numbers rr and ss of prime factors of nn and mm (with one member having at least 1717 prime factors), is not established by its proof: the proof combines an upper bound on mm with a lower bound on nn to get p1qs<rsp_1q_s<rs, while the bounds rn/pr<m<rn/p1rn/p_r<m<rn/p_1 and sm/qs<n<sm/q1sm/q_s<n<sm/q_1 give only p1q1<rs<prqsp_1q_1<rs<p_rq_s, as Bonfioli's manuscript shows (§14, p. 63; its claim page). The conclusion r+s≥34r+s\ge34 itself follows from Rosen's bound ∣P∪Q∣≥59|P\cup Q|\ge59, recorded on the problem page.

Acceptance. Refereed: J. Kovič, The arithmetic derivative and antiderivative, J. Integer Seq. 15 (2012), Article 12.3.8; received 19 May 2011, revised 18 March 2012, published 25 March 2012 (the journal's article page). The site labels the problem VERIFIABLE and does not cite the paper, so no reviewed evidence is listed. This claim is partial, so the problem stays open.