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A mathematician calls a machine proof one from The Book

development2026-04-16

Claim

GPT-5.4 Pro solved Erdős Problem #1196 with a proof that mathematician Jared Duker Lichtman called stunning and from The Book, Erdős's term for the platonic collection of maximally elegant proofs.

Reporting date: 2026-04-16 (not necessarily the event date)

Sources

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Welcome to April 16, 2026 (theinnermostloop.substack.com)

The standard shifts from correct to beautiful.

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Reported in

Welcome to April 16, 2026

Actor

OpenAI

Evidence for

Supersedes

Five more Erdős problems close across three fields

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A mathematician calls a machine proof one from The Book
Innermost Loop KB — secondary record
Reporting date: 2026-04-16
KB permalink: https://nicholsn.github.io/innermost-loop-kb/developments/2026-04-16-a-proof-from-the-book
Claim: GPT-5.4 Pro solved Erdős Problem #1196 with a proof that mathematician Jared Duker Lichtman called stunning and from The Book, Erdős's term for the platonic collection of maximally elegant proofs.
Attributed sources:
- Welcome to April 16, 2026 — https://theinnermostloop.substack.com/p/welcome-to-april-16-2026
This citation does not imply independent verification of linked-source claims.

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