Problem 7 — Visual explainer (undergrad) ======================================== Problem statement --------------- Is there a distinct covering system all of whose moduli are odd? Picture ------- [Given objects + constraints] ---> [Count / structure] ---> [Show bound / existence] Question: what to look at ------------------------ - Restate the problem as: given the constraint, what asymptotic bound or structure must follow? - Use the comments as benchmarks (best known bounds / constructions). Benchmarks / known results (from comments) ---------------------------------------- - The answer to this stronger question is no, proved by Balister, Bollob\'{a}s, Morris, Sahasrabudhe, and Tiba. - Hough and Nielsen proved that at least one modulus must be divisible by either $2$ or $3$. - A simpler proof of this fact was provided by Balister, Bollob\'{a}s, Morris, Sahasrabudhe, and Tiba, who also prove that if an odd covering system exists then the least common multiple of its moduli must be divisible by $9$ or $15$. - Selfridge has shown (as reported in ) that such a covering system exists if a covering system exists with moduli $n_1,\ldots,n_k$ such that no $n_i$ divides any other $n_j$ (but the latter has been shown not to exist, see [586]).