Mathematics Atlas

How Proof Is Made
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Conjecture

Hall's Conjecture

Number Theory

Hall's conjecture is an open question on the differences between perfect squares and perfect cubes, asserting that a perfect square and a perfect cube that are not equal must lie a substantial distance apart; it arose from the Mordell equation in the theory of integer points on elliptic curves. The original version, formulated by Marshall Hall Jr. in 1970, proposes a positive constant bounding the size of that gap, a bound later shown by Danilov in 1982 to have an optimal exponent. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Statement
A perfect square y^2 and a perfect cube x^3 that are not equal must lie a substantial distance apart. 1
Proposed Year
1970 1
Progress Toward Resolution
The original strong form has never been disproved but is no longer believed true; the weak form, with exponent below 1/2, is now generally meant and would follow from the ABC conjecture. 1
Classification
Resolution Status
Open 1
Prize Status
Prize Status (category)
No Prize Offered 1
Sources
1. Hall's Conjecture (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section
    The original version of Hall's conjecture, formulated by Marshall Hall, Jr. in 1970
  • Lead section, first paragraph
    must lie a substantial distance apart
  • Body, paragraph on the strong and weak forms
    has never been disproved, although it is no longer believed to be true
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.