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Problem #7: Odd Covering Systems

Posed by Erdos and Selfridge. Selfridge offered $2000 for an explicit example.

Problem Statement

Is there a covering system all of whose moduli are odd?

Categories: Number Theory Covering Systems

Progress

Key Results

Balister, Bollobás, Morris, Sahasrabudhe, and Tiba: No covering system exists where all moduli are both odd AND squarefree.

Hough and Nielsen: At least one modulus must be divisible by 2 or 3. If an odd system exists, its LCM must be divisible by 9 or 15.

Source: erdosproblems.com/7 | Last verified: January 13, 2026

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