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OPEN This is open, and cannot be resolved with a finite computation.
For which integers $a\geq 1$ and primes $p$ is there a finite upper bound on those $k$ such that there are $a=a_1<\cdots<a_n$ with\[p^k \mid (a_1!+\cdots+a_n!)?\]If $f(a,p)$ is the greatest such $k$, how does this function behave?

Is there a prime $p$ and an infinite sequence $a_1<a_2<\cdots$ such that if $p^{m_k}$ is the highest power of $p$ dividing $\sum_{i\leq k}a_i!$ then $m_k\to \infty$?
Disclaimer: The open status of this problem reflects the current belief of the owner of this website. There may be literature on this problem that I am unaware of, which may partially or completely solve the stated problem. Please do your own literature search before expending significant effort on solving this problem. If you find any relevant literature not mentioned here, please add this in a comment.
See also [403]. Lin [Li76] has shown that $f(2,2) \leq 254$.

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This page was last edited 29 September 2025.

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Additional thanks to: Vjekoslav Kovac

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T. F. Bloom, Erdős Problem #404, https://www.erdosproblems.com/404, accessed 2026-01-14