Erdős–Moser equation

• ... that all solutions of the Erdős–Moser equation correspond to convergents of ln(2), yielding "one of very few instances where a large scale computation of a numerical constant has an application"?
• ALT1: ... that the only known solution to the Erdős–Moser equation is 1 + 2 = 3?

• • Reviewed:

LucasBrown 11:35, 30 May 2024 (UTC).

• Pinging David Eppstein if he could contribute to the nomination (either as a reviewer or to suggest hooks) as the current hook seems very specialist or complex and thus may not be easily understood by general readership. Narutolovehinata5 ( talk · contributions) 00:54, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

I'll also note that the article would be better with a bit more prose to contextualize what is going on here. Currently the article itself is very inaccessible to the average reader, it would be nice to have a background of why this equation is important (I see the term "Diophantine equation" being used, maybe you could include a few sentences on how this relates to the article) and some prose (as opposed to proofs) to convey the methods being used to solve it. Sohom ( talk) 01:10, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

According to our DYK rules, "Hooks should be likely to be perceived as unusual or intriguing by readers with no special knowledge or interest". I don't think that is the case for the proposed hook. Also, I think the hook is misleading: as far as we know, it could be the case that all solutions of the equation are the single solution 1+2=3, unrelated to the log(2) calculation. And calling this an "application" is dubious when it is just a mathematical calculation used to support another mathematical calculation. I have generally interpreted this rule as requiring that the hook connect the subject to some real-world topic beyond mathematics (just as we require that hooks about fiction connect the subject to some real-world topic beyond the plot). Unfortunately I see no non-mathematics at all in the article, on which to build a hook. It's kind of interesting to me that the known lower bound on a second solution is such a huge number, but I don't think I represent a general reader for this purpose. I do also agree that the walls of equations make the article hard to read (not just to the average reader), but that is not really a DYK criterion. — David Eppstein ( talk) 01:22, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

To be honest, as a non-math guy, this hook is remarkably uninteresting. Though that is obviously my opinion, it shows that it is likely not a suitable one, or the article as a whole as a matter of a fact. TheBritinator ( talk) 01:43, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

How about "... that the only known solution for the Erdős–Moser equation is "1 + 2 = 3" ? DS ( talk) 21:21, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

I think it's better. It still doesn't relate to non-mathematics at all, but at least it's (1) at a level understandable to the general reader, and (2) kind of intriguing how something so basic-looking as 1+2=3 could be the basis of something where we don't know if there is another solution. The question is whether it's enough better to pass the interestingness test. — David Eppstein ( talk) 21:27, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

I also think that's better. I was going to suggest something like "... no one knows whether the Erdős–Moser equation has more than one solution". XOR'easter ( talk) 22:12, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

I have added the 1+2=3 hook to the list. - LucasBrown 04:07, 6 June 2024 (UTC)

ALT1 is brilliant! Schwede 66 04:00, 23 June 2024 (UTC)

• Full review needed now that additional hooks have been suggested. Thanks. BlueMoonset ( talk) 03:53, 25 June 2024 (UTC)