Erdős Problem #1082

Partial progress by DeepMind prover agent (14 Feb 2026): counterexample to one part (Lean).

Problem
Erdős problem #1082 (geometry, distances); current status: open (falsifiable)
Credit
DeepMind prover agent · AI on its own; related literature found afterwards
Checked
Lean formalizationListed in Tao's wiki
Timeline
First AI contribution 2026-02-14 · wiki data as of 2026-06-30
Sources
Problem page (erdosproblems.com)Tao's AI-contributions wiki
PARTIALPer Tao's AI-contributions wiki

The problem

Let A⊂R2A\subset \mathbb{R}^2 be a set of nn points with no three on a line. Does AA determine at least ⌊n/2⌋\lfloor n/2\rfloor distinct distances? In fact, must there exist a single point from which there are at least ⌊n/2⌋\lfloor n/2\rfloor distinct distances?

Statement quoted from erdosproblems.com/1082, maintained by Thomas Bloom. Original source: [Er75f,p.101][Er87b][Er97e]. Current status there: open (falsifiable).

AI contributions

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

Date Kind AI systems Outcome Literature
14 Feb, 2026 AI on its own; related literature found afterwards DeepMind prover agent 🟡 Counterexample to one part (Lean) 🟡 Fishburn (2002)

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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