REVIEW 3 major objections 6 minor 250 references
A list of formulas for π, e, γ, Catalan's constant and zeta values is offered as a numerical-checkable test of whether AI can prove or rediscover identities in the Ramanujan–Apéry tradition.
Reviewed by Pith at T0; open to challenge. T0 means a machine referee read the full paper against a public rubric. the ladder, T0–T4 →
T0 review · grok-4.5
2026-07-14 17:07 UTC pith:O2OIKFWR
load-bearing objection Clean, usable AI-math challenge set of new special-value formulas; the encrypted proofs are a temporary but real soft spot, not a fatal one. the 3 major comments →
The Ramanujan Challenge For AI
The pith
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
The paper claims that the listed identities hold: a polynomial continued fraction equals 6/(3−π), two linear recurrences have Apéry limits equal to Euler's constant γ and to π+e, a double sum of squared binomial coefficients times squared harmonic numbers equals a closed combination of polylogarithms and zeta values, matrix products and four-term recurrences converge to Catalan's constant and to ζ(2)+ζ(3), a 4 imes4 matrix product converges extremely rapidly to √10005/π, an integral of a Godbillon–Vey form over a branch of the A-polynomial of the knot 7₂ equals 4π²/85, and the gcd of the scaled Apéry numbers is of the form e^{o(n)}. These statements, some already proved and some still open,
What carries the argument
Apéry-style limits and related holonomic recurrences (or matrix products) whose successive rational terms converge to the target constant; numerical verification to arbitrary precision supplies objective evidence while the proof itself may demand creative identification of the underlying arithmetic or geometric structure.
Load-bearing premise
That the proofs already known to the authors are correct and that the high-precision numerical matches for the open formulas will eventually admit rigorous proofs rather than remaining coincidences.
What would settle it
A computer-algebra derivation or formal proof that any one of the claimed identities fails, or a rigorous demonstration that the integral over the A-polynomial of 7₂ (or the gcd claim for Apéry numbers) diverges from the asserted closed form.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The manuscript proposes a focused AI-evaluation challenge consisting of explicit formulas (continued fractions, holonomic recurrences, matrix products, series, and one integral) for classical constants such as π, e, γ, Catalan's constant G, ζ(2)+ζ(3), and √10005/π. Section 2 presents identities whose proofs the authors claim to hold privately and will keep encrypted for a short initial period; Section 3 presents two numerically supported open conjectures (a Godbillon–Vey-type integral over the A-polynomial of the knot 7₂ equaling 4π²/85, and a gcd claim asserting that Apéry's irrationality-measure bound for ζ(3) is tight for his sequences). The formulas are written with full polynomial coefficients and initial conditions so that they can be checked to arbitrary precision, and a short discussion argues that computer-algebra derivations may count as sufficient solutions for the challenge.
Significance. If the Section 2 identities are correct and the Section 3 conjectures hold, the paper supplies a clean, contamination-resistant benchmark in the spirit of First Proof and FrontierMath, specialized to the classical tradition of Ramanujan- and Apéry-style formulas. Strengths that deserve explicit credit are: (i) every claim is stated with complete, numerically falsifiable data (recurrences, initial values, matrix entries, integration limits); (ii) proven and open items are separated; (iii) the discussion of what should count as proof in the age of AI is a useful, concrete contribution for experimental mathematics. The open problems (especially the knot-polynomial integral and the Apéry gcd claim) are of independent mathematical interest. The work is therefore significant for both AI evaluation and the experimental-constants community, provided the private proofs are eventually released and the classification of items is made consistent.
major comments (3)
- [§2.8] §2.8 ends with the wording “we conjecture that lim PN,j/QN,j = √10005/π”, yet §2 is introduced as the section of “proven problems” whose proofs “are known to the authors”. Every other item in §2 is phrased “Prove: …”. Either 2.8 belongs in §3, or the verb should be “Prove”. As written, the proven/conjectural partition that the paper advertises is internally inconsistent on a load-bearing classification.
- [§2 (esp. 2.2, 2.3) and §4] The central claim that the §2 identities “hold” and are suitable as settled evaluation targets rests on author-held proofs that referees (and readers) cannot inspect. For holonomic limits such as 2.2 (γ) and 2.3 (π+e), the claimed limit is sensitive to every polynomial coefficient and every initial condition; high-precision numerical agreement alone does not distinguish a true identity from a high-order coincidence. The manuscript should either (a) deposit the proofs or CAS certificates with the journal under embargo with a stated release date, or (b) reclassify any item whose proof is not yet public as a conjecture. Without one of these, the “proven” half of the challenge cannot be independently validated.
- [§4 Discussion] §4 asserts that “a derivation carried out using symbolic libraries within established computer algebra systems” is “sufficient evidence of a valid solution” for the challenge. That convention is reasonable for an AI contest, but it is not the same as a classical mathematical proof. The paper should state explicitly which of the encrypted §2 solutions are human-readable proofs and which are CAS certificates, and should give minimal acceptance criteria (e.g., fully expanded certificate, independent re-execution, or Lean formalization) so that AI submissions can be judged uniformly.
minor comments (6)
- [§1–§3 headings] Section headings appear concatenated in the source (“AFEW REMARKS”, “THEQUESTIONS”, “THECONJECTURES”). Insert spaces for readability.
- [front-matter table] The contributor table at the front lists authors for most items but leaves 2.3, 2.6 and 2.8 without named contributors; either complete the table or mark them as group contributions.
- [§2.1] In 2.1 the continued-fraction value is written 6/(3−π). A brief remark that this is equivalent to a more standard form (or why the reciprocal form is preferred) would help readers checking numerics.
- [§3.1] §3.1 quotes approximate roots α≈0.349269… and β≈0.406813…; giving a short isolating polynomial or interval with a certified enclosure would make the integral limits fully rigorous to state.
- [Abstract / §1] The phrase “for a short initial period” (abstract and §1) is never quantified. A concrete embargo length or release trigger would strengthen the challenge design.
- [§1] References to contemporaneous AI-math benchmarks (First Proof, FrontierMath, Riemann-Bench, Humanity’s Last Exam) are appropriate; a one-sentence comparison of verification protocols would situate the present challenge more sharply.
Circularity Check
No circularity: the paper poses independent identities and open conjectures as AI challenges; it contains no derivation chain that reduces a claimed prediction to its own inputs by construction.
full rationale
The manuscript is a challenge list, not a derivation paper. Section 2 states explicit formulas (continued fractions, holonomic recurrences, matrix products, series) whose limits equal named constants, with proofs held privately by the authors; Section 3 states two open conjectures. None of the statements is obtained by fitting a free parameter to data and then re-labeling the fit as a prediction, nor by defining a quantity in terms of the target constant and then recovering that constant. Self-citations (Raayoni et al. 2021, Elimelech et al. 2023, Weinbaum et al. 2025) appear only as historical context for the Ramanujan-Machine tradition and are not invoked to force uniqueness, to smuggle an ansatz, or to underwrite any of the listed identities. Numerical verifiability is independent of the private proofs. Consequently the derivation chain is empty of circular steps and the paper is self-contained against external benchmarks.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
axioms (3)
- standard math The indicated polynomial recurrences and matrix products possess well-defined asymptotic ratios that equal the claimed constants.
- domain assumption The A-polynomial of the prime knot 7₂ is correctly given and the real algebraic curve segment between the stated roots exists with the claimed monotonicity.
- ad hoc to paper Author-held proofs of the Section 2 identities are mathematically valid.
read the original abstract
To help evaluate the mathematical skills of current AI systems, we present a set of formulas for fundamental mathematical constants. These problems are attractive for AI evaluation because they are concrete and can be checked numerically to arbitrary precision, yet proving them may require non-obvious mathematics. Mathematical constants such as $\pi$, $e$, Catalan's constant, and special values of the Riemann zeta function have fascinated mathematicians for centuries. The search for formulas evaluating mathematical constants has produced some of the most beautiful mathematics in the field, especially in cases that yield irrationality proofs or fast convergence rates. Ramanujan's legacy is emblematic of this tradition. The list we provide contains two types of problems: formulas whose proofs are known to the authors but will remain encrypted for a short initial period; and formulas that are not yet proven. We are curious to see the achievements of AI in both cases.
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