Problem Statement
Let $z_1,\ldots,z_n\in\mathbb{C}$ with $1\leq \lvert z_i\rvert$ for $1\leq i\leq n$. Let $D$ be an arbitrary disc of radius $1$. Is it true that the number of sums of the shape\[\sum_{i=1}^n\epsilon_iz_i \textrm{ for }\epsilon_i\in \{-1,1\}\]which lie in $D$ is at most $\binom{n}{\lfloor n/2\rfloor}$?
Categories:
Combinatorics Analysis
Progress
A strong form of the Littlewood-Offord problem. Erdős [Er45] proved this is true if $z_i\in\mathbb{R}$, and for general $z_i\in\mathbb{C}$ proved a weaker upper bound of\[\ll \frac{2^n}{\sqrt{n}}.\]This was solved in the affirmative by Kleitman [Kl65], who also later generalised this to arbitrary Hilbert spaces [Kl70].See also [395].
Source: erdosproblems.com/498 | Last verified: January 15, 2026