Erdős Problem #966

The problem

Let $k,r\geq 2$. Does there exist a set $A\subseteq \mathbb{N}$ that contains no non-trivial arithmetic progression of length $k+1$, yet in any $r$-colouring of $A$ there must exist a monochromatic non-trivial arithmetic progression of length $k$?

Statement quoted from erdosproblems.com/966, maintained by Thomas Bloom. Original source: [Er75b]. Current status there: proved (Lean).

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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