Sendov's conjecture
If a polynomial's roots lie in the unit disc, is every root near a critical point?
▸Motivation
Sendov, 1959 (often attributed to Ilyeff). Terence Tao proved it in 2020 for polynomials of sufficiently large degree, using a compactness-and-contradiction argument.
The remaining degrees are open, and Tao's method is ineffective about where 'sufficiently large' begins — so this is another case where the statement is known for all but finitely many instances that cannot be listed.
Blagovest Sendov, 1959. Large degrees settled by Tao, 2020.
▸Lean API
import Mathlib.Algebra.Polynomial.Derivative
import Mathlib.Analysis.SpecialFunctions.Complex.Circle
namespace Conjectura.AN011
/-- If every root of a complex polynomial lies in the closed unit disc, is every root
within distance one of some critical point? Tao proved it for polynomials of
sufficiently large degree in 2020; the remaining degrees are open. -/
def goal : Prop :=
∀ (p : Polynomial ℂ), 1 < p.degree →
(∀ z : ℂ, p.IsRoot z → ‖z‖ ≤ 1) →
∀ z : ℂ, p.IsRoot z → ∃ w : ℂ, p.derivative.IsRoot w ∧ ‖z - w‖ ≤ 1
end Conjectura.AN011▸Definition3
- PolynomialPolynomial
structure
- degreep.degree
def
- IsRootp.IsRoot
def
▸Related work1
- Sendov's conjecture for sufficiently high degree polynomialsTerence Tao · 2022
Settles all sufficiently large degrees, ineffectively.
▸For your AI
I am proving a theorem in Lean 4 and submitting it to Conjectura.
## Problem AN011 — Sendov's conjecture
If a polynomial's roots lie in the unit disc, is every root near a critical point?
## Environment (fixed — do not assume anything newer)
- Lean toolchain: `leanprover/lean4:v4.33.0-rc1`
- Mathlib: `v4.33.0-rc1`
If a lemma you want does not exist in that Mathlib, prove it inline instead of
importing something newer.
## The exact statement I must prove
```lean
theorem solution : ∀ (p : Polynomial ℂ), 1 < p.degree → (∀ z : ℂ, p.IsRoot z → ‖z‖ ≤ 1) →
∀ z : ℂ, p.IsRoot z → ∃ w : ℂ, p.derivative.IsRoot w ∧ ‖z - w‖ ≤ 1 := by
sorry
```
## The file I submit
```lean
import Conjectura.Problems.AN011.Statement
namespace Submission
theorem solution : Conjectura.AN011.goal := by
sorry
end Submission
```
## The Lean definitions of every term in this problem
These are the actual definitions your proof will be checked against. Do not
substitute your own version of any of them.
### Polynomial
structure
```lean
Polynomial
```
Defined in Mathlib.
### degree
def
```lean
p.degree
```
Defined in Mathlib.
### IsRoot
def
```lean
p.IsRoot
```
Defined in Mathlib.
## Rules — submissions violating these are rejected automatically
1. **Do not change the name or type of `solution`.** It must satisfy the
statement above exactly.
2. **Do not redefine or shadow anything from the problem's Statement module.**
Declaring your own `goal`, or redefining a name it depends on, produces a
proof of a *different* statement and is rejected. This is the single most
common rejection.
3. **No `sorry`** anywhere, including in helper lemmas. It surfaces as the
axiom `sorryAx` and is detected transitively through imports.
4. **No `native_decide`** — it surfaces as `Lean.ofReduceBool` and is not
accepted, because it trusts compiled code rather than the kernel.
5. Only these axioms are permitted: `propext`, `Classical.choice`,
`Quot.sound`.
6. Follow Mathlib style: hypotheses left of the colon, explicit types,
`snake_case` theorem names, `UpperCamelCase` types.
## What I want from you
Here is my argument in informal mathematics:
> [PASTE YOUR PROOF SKETCH HERE]
Turn it into Lean 4 that compiles under the environment above and satisfies the
statement exactly. Where you are unsure a lemma exists in this Mathlib version,
say so explicitly rather than guessing a name.Submissions are not open yet
Conjectura is in beta. You can read every statement, every definition and the Lean behind them, and download the exact files the checker uses — but proofs are not being accepted yet.
The reason is a deliberate order of operations. Accepting a proof means running a stranger’s code and standing behind a verdict, and no statement here yet carries a researcher’s name. A machine-checked answer to a question nobody has vouched for is worth very little, so the vouching comes first.
The English write-ups are also switched off during the beta. Nothing on this page is generated by a model.
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