Problem Statement
Let $A=\{1\leq a_1< a_2<\cdots\}$ be a set of integers such that
(Here 'complete' means all sufficiently large integers can be written as a sum of distinct members of the sequence.)
Is it true that if $a_{n+1}/a_n \geq 1+\epsilon$ for some $\epsilon>0$ and all $n$ then\[\lim_n \frac{a_{n+1}}{a_n}=\frac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2}?\]
- $A\backslash B$ is complete for any finite subset $B$ and
- $A\backslash B$ is not complete for any infinite subset $B$.
(Here 'complete' means all sufficiently large integers can be written as a sum of distinct members of the sequence.)
Is it true that if $a_{n+1}/a_n \geq 1+\epsilon$ for some $\epsilon>0$ and all $n$ then\[\lim_n \frac{a_{n+1}}{a_n}=\frac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2}?\]
Categories:
Number Theory Complete Sequences
Progress
Graham [Gr64d] has shown that the sequence $a_n=F_n-(-1)^{n}$, where $F_n$ is the $n$th Fibonacci number, has these properties. Erdős and Graham [ErGr80] remark that it is easy to see that if $a_{n+1}/a_n>\frac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2}$ then the second property is automatically satisfied, and that it is not hard to construct very irregular sequences satisfying both properties.Source: erdosproblems.com/346 | Last verified: January 14, 2026