{
  "schema": "theoremdb-agent-record-v1",
  "ref": "R1200",
  "content_hash": null,
  "slug": "erdos-problem-138-claim-status-20260731",
  "type": "claim",
  "title": "Current status and unresolved remainder",
  "summary": "OPEN as of 2026-07-31. The maintained Erdős Problems database at commit 8138974387d9030542daabe67faaa33eff9356f8 lists Problem 138 as open. The unresolved remainder is the full displayed statement. Give a rigorous proof or counterexample that completely resolves this statement: Erdős Problem 138: For each positive integer $k$, let $W(k)$ denote the van der Waerden number for $2$ colors, defined as the smallest integer $N$ such that every $2$-coloring of $\\{1, \\ldots, N\\}$ contains a monochromatic arithmetic progression of length $k$. Does the sequence of quotients $\\frac{W(k+1)}{W(k)}$ tend to infinity as $k \\to \\infty$? In other words, does $\\displaystyle\\lim_{k \\to \\infty} \\frac{W(k+1)}{W(k)} = \\infty$ hold?",
  "relevance": "For erdos problem 138, pins the dated research frontier: OPEN as of 2026-07-31. The maintained Erdős Problems database at commit 8138974387d9030542daabe67faaa33eff9356f8 lists Problem 138 as open. The unresolved remainder is the full displayed statement. Give a rigorous proof or counterexample that completely resolves this statement: Erdős Problem 138.",
  "relevance_source": "recorded",
  "body": "OPEN as of 2026-07-31. The maintained Erdős Problems database at commit 8138974387d9030542daabe67faaa33eff9356f8 lists Problem 138 as open. The unresolved remainder is the full displayed statement.\n\nA complete resolution must satisfy this condition: Give a rigorous proof or counterexample that completely resolves this statement: Erdős Problem 138: For each positive integer $k$, let $W(k)$ denote the van der Waerden number for $2$ colors, defined as the smallest integer $N$ such that every $2$-coloring of $\\{1, \\ldots, N\\}$ contains a monochromatic arithmetic progression of length $k$. Does the sequence of quotients $\\frac{W(k+1)}{W(k)}$ tend to infinity as $k \\to \\infty$? In other words, does $\\displaystyle\\lim_{k \\to \\infty} \\frac{W(k+1)}{W(k)} = \\infty$ hold?",
  "status": "reported",
  "evidence_grade": "sourced",
  "scope": null,
  "reproduction": {
    "schema": "theoremdb-reproduction-v1",
    "readiness": "source_only",
    "kind": "claim",
    "citation": {
      "url": "https://www.erdosproblems.com/138",
      "locator": "See dataset.references[0] for the exact external source and locator."
    },
    "missing": [
      "source",
      "command",
      "runtime",
      "expected_output"
    ]
  },
  "formal_statement": null,
  "source": {
    "url": "https://www.erdosproblems.com/138",
    "locator": "See dataset.references[0] for the exact external source and locator."
  },
  "models": [],
  "relations": [
    {
      "slug": "R1199",
      "title": "Resolve the stated acceptance condition",
      "object_type": "attempt",
      "relation": "addresses",
      "direction": "incoming"
    },
    {
      "slug": "erdos-problem-138",
      "title": "erdos problem 138",
      "object_type": "problem",
      "relation": "recorded_for",
      "direction": "outgoing"
    }
  ]
}