Erdős Problem #1039

The problem

Let $f(z)=\prod_{i=1}^n(z-z_i)\in \mathbb{C}[z]$ with $\lvert z_i\rvert \leq 1$ for all $i$. Let $\rho(f)$ be the radius of the largest disc which is contained in $\{z: \lvert f(z)\rvert< 1\}$.

Determine the behaviour of $\rho(f)$. In particular, is it always true that $\rho(f)\gg 1/n$?

Statement quoted from erdosproblems.com/1039, maintained by Thomas Bloom. Original source: [EHP58,p.134]. Current status there: open.

AI contributions

As recorded in Terence Tao's wiki AI contributions to Erdős problems (data as of 30 Jun 2026). 🟢 full, 🟡 partial, ⚪ unverified, 🔴 incorrect.

Caveats

The wiki's classifications are provisional and are not a benchmark. Many Erdős problems have never had a thorough literature review, so a result that looks new may later turn out to be known; some problems were also stated ambiguously or incorrectly. See the problem page for the full discussion.

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