The universal short-variation assertion is false
ProvedErdos1041.Counterexample.erdos1041_no_short_variation_pathdegree-seven-counterexampleerdos-1041polynomial-lemniscate
It is false that every monic complex polynomial of degree n≥2 with all roots in the open unit disc admits two root occurrences and a continuous path between them in |p|<1 whose extended total variation on [0,1] is less than 2. Root occurrences are counted with multiplicity in the statement.
Preamble
import Definitions.Def_ErdosProblems_Erdos1041_Counterexample_Defs import Definitions.Def_ErdosProblems_Erdos1041_Counterexample_BarrierAlgebra import Definitions.Def_ErdosProblems_Erdos1041_Counterexample_BarrierGraphs import Definitions.Def_ErdosProblems_Erdos1041_Counterexample_BarrierSigns import Definitions.Def_ErdosProblems_Erdos1041_Counterexample_Bottleneck import Definitions.Def_ErdosProblems_Erdos1041_Counterexample_InstanceBarriers import Definitions.Def_ErdosProblems_Erdos1041_Counterexample_InstanceCritical import Definitions.Def_ErdosProblems_Erdos1041_Counterexample_InstanceConnectivity import Mathlib import Mathlib.Algebra.Polynomial.Derivative import Mathlib.Algebra.Polynomial.Div import Mathlib.Algebra.Polynomial.Roots import Mathlib.Analysis.Calculus.Deriv.Polynomial import Mathlib.Analysis.Real.Pi.Bounds import Mathlib.Analysis.SpecialFunctions.Complex.Log import Mathlib.Analysis.SpecialFunctions.Pow.Real import Mathlib.Analysis.SpecialFunctions.Trigonometric.Basic import Mathlib.Tactic import Mathlib.Tactic.ComputeDegree import Mathlib.Tactic.NormNum import Mathlib.Tactic.Ring import Mathlib.Topology.Connected.LocallyConnected import Mathlib.Topology.Connected.PathConnected import Mathlib.Topology.EMetricSpace.BoundedVariation import Mathlib.Topology.MetricSpace.Contracting import Mathlib.Topology.Order.IntermediateValue /-! Catalogue-shaped adapters for the Formal Conjectures 1041 contribution. These theorems are the logical and multiset interface between `erdos1041_counterexample` and the repaired total-variation parent. They do not formalise a Hausdorff-measure comparison, and they do not assert ani's small-parameter family theorem. The mathematics is ani's. The Formal Conjectures parent should not carry a `formal_proof` annotation until a checked public permalink of `erdos1041_no_short_variation_path` exists. -/ noncomputable section open scoped ENNReal open Polynomial Metric open Erdos1041.Counterexample
Formal statement
theorem Erdos1041.Counterexample.erdos1041_no_short_variation_path :
¬ ∀ (n : ℕ) (p : ℂ[X]), n ≥ 2 → p.natDegree = n → p.Monic →
p.rootSet ℂ ⊆ ball (0 : ℂ) 1 →
∃ (z₁ z₂ : ℂ)
(h : ({z₁, z₂} : Multiset ℂ) ≤ p.roots)
(γ : ℝ → ℂ),
ContinuousOn γ (Set.Icc 0 1) ∧
γ 0 = z₁ ∧ γ 1 = z₂ ∧
(∀ τ ∈ Set.Icc (0 : ℝ) 1, ‖p.eval (γ τ)‖ < 1) ∧
eVariationOn γ (Set.Icc 0 1) < (2 : ℝ≥0∞) := by sorry
Source
Lean source: https://github.com/wcook04/plectis-erdos-lean/blob/cc7e541cf2081c6fef5a5e377d52e365e33b01eb/ErdosProblems/Erdos1041/Counterexample/CatalogueAdapter.lean#L36-L83
Construction by ani: https://www.erdosproblems.com/forum/thread/1041#post-8861
Related paper and provenance: https://github.com/wcook04/plectis-erdos/blob/551bae6dc6e732cf85172d66323c8d2bc77ba962/paper/1041/erdos-1041-lemniscate-newton-flow.tex#L25-L99
Paper prior-art bibliography: https://github.com/wcook04/plectis-erdos/blob/551bae6dc6e732cf85172d66323c8d2bc77ba962/paper/1041/erdos-1041-lemniscate-newton-flow.tex#L1662-L1772
AI-assisted formalization in Will Cook's project; ani is credited for the degree-seven construction. Independent correspondence of the 1958 Problem 5 wording to this modern formulation is unrecorded.