Erdös Conjecture on Sums of Distinct Numbers
G. W. Peck · Studies in Applied Mathematics · 1980
A conjecture of Erdös that a set of n distinct numbers having the most linear combinations with coefficients 0,1 all equal are n integers of smallest magnitude is here proven. The result follows from a theorem of Stanley that implies that the integers from n have the most such linear combinations having k distinct values for every k. The same result is shown to hold for complex numbers and vectors in Hilbert space. It is shown that the number of linear combinations taking on k distinct values is maximized by the same configuration, for every k. Generalization to the case in which irregular distinctness restrictions are imposed is also given.