Bergström's conjecture on the Euclidean Steinitz constant

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Let B2dB_2^d denote the Euclidean unit ball in Rd\mathbb{R}^d, and let S(B2d)S(B_2^d) be its Steinitz constant: the smallest CC such that every finite set of vectors V⊂B2dV\subset B_2^d with sum zero admits an ordering whose partial sums have Euclidean norm at most CC. Bergström's conjecture. For all d≥1d\geq 1,

S(B2d)=O(d).S(B_2^d)=O(\sqrt{d}).

This conjecture, known as the Steinitz problem, sought a much stronger estimate than the general bound S(B)≤dS(B)\leq d. The supplied status evidence says that it has been refuted.

References

Primary source

Gergely Ambrus and Rainie Heck, “A note on the Steinitz Lemma”, arXiv:2505.09465 (2026).

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Solutions 1

RemarkAI-assistedClaimed by OpenAI. The manuscript claims an absolute C such that every finite zero-sum family of Euclidean unit-ball vectors in dimension d admits a permutation whose unsigned partial sums are at most C*sqrt(d). This addresses the stated order bound. The page currently records a refutation; this upload only attributes the manuscript’s contrary claim. Its separate fixed-order signing theorem is not this unsigned statement.See full solutionHide full solution

Claimed by OpenAI. The manuscript claims an absolute C such that every finite zero-sum family of Euclidean unit-ball vectors in dimension d admits a permutation whose unsigned partial sums are at most C*sqrt(d). This addresses the stated order bound. The page currently records a refutation; this upload only attributes the manuscript’s contrary claim. Its separate fixed-order signing theorem is not this unsigned statement.

GitHub repository: https://github.com/openai/math

Manuscript: https://github.com/openai/math/blob/adc7f1241b42e322a6451854ab7e4b4c146bf78a/preprints/The-Euclidean-Steinitz-Bergstrom-theorem-September-24-2026/The-Euclidean-Steinitz-Bergstrom-theorem-September-24-2026.pdf

  • OpenAI-097-01-The-Euclidean-Steinitz-Bergstr-m-theorem.pdf494,022 bytesOpen