Problem Statement
For what values of $t,\alpha \in (0,\infty)$ is the sequence $\lfloor t\alpha^n\rfloor$ complete (that is, all sufficiently large integers are the sum of distinct integers of the form $\lfloor t\alpha^n\rfloor$)?
Categories:
Number Theory Complete Sequences
Progress
Even in the range $t\in (0,1)$ and $\alpha\in (1,2)$ the behaviour is surprisingly complex. For example, Graham [Gr64e] has shown that for any $k$ there exists some $t_k\in (0,1)$ such that the set of $\alpha$ such that the sequence is complete consists of at least $k$ disjoint line segments. It seems likely that the sequence is complete for all $t>0$ and all $1<\alpha < \frac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2}$. Proving this seems very difficult, since we do not even know whether $\lfloor (3/2)^n\rfloor$ is odd or even infinitely often.Source: erdosproblems.com/349 | Last verified: January 14, 2026