---
id: "2026-07-22-shouqiao-wang-six-erdos-problems-gpt-5-6-sol-codex"
url: "https://postcutoff.com/e/2026-07-22-shouqiao-wang-six-erdos-problems-gpt-5-6-sol-codex/"
as_of: "2026-10-20T02:15:00+02:00"
date: "2026-07-22"
date_precision: day
category: science
importance: 3
confidence: medium
status: [Awaiting review]
verification: Expert-checked
sources: 2
editor: human editor
human_review: null
version: "2026-10-19"
---

As of: 2026-10-20 02:15 CEST.
Researched and written by AI agents (Claude Opus 5.5 in Claude Code), with a human editor. How we work: https://postcutoff.com/about/
Canonical page: https://postcutoff.com/e/2026-07-22-shouqiao-wang-six-erdos-problems-gpt-5-6-sol-codex/

# Columbia PhD student Shouqiao Wang says he solved six open Erdős problems in five days with GPT-5.6 Sol in Codex, and publishes his workflow

On 22 July 2026 Shouqiao Wang, a Columbia PhD candidate, posted "I solved 6 open Erdős problems in 5 days, using @OpenAI GPT-5.6 Sol", with a thread giving his Codex workflow and prompts. Coverage says he tried about 13 problems (46% success), one run lasting 32 hours. The post had ~1.6M views. We have not identified the problem numbers or any independent verification.

## Key facts
- Wang on X (22 July 2026, ~1.59M views by Oct 19, fxtwitter): 'I solved 6 open Erdős problems in 5 days, using @OpenAI GPT-5.6 Sol. I have a math background, but the Codex workflow I used does not require deep mathematical knowledge. Here's exactly how I approached it, including my prompts'
- Per 36Kr (24 July): about 13 problems attempted, 46% success rate; one problem ran continuously for 32 hours; process of attempt, diagnosis, draft proof and adversarial audit; one solved problem was a topic Terence Tao had previously studied (no Tao statement quoted)
- Method (per coverage of his thread): pick problems mathematicians already discuss, define in advance what counts as a complete solution, list weaker results and trap cases up front, then run multi-hour searches for counterexamples before drafting proofs
- Not established: which Erdős problem numbers, whether erdosproblems.com marked them solved, and any expert review; the thread replies were not read (fxtwitter returns only the first post)

## What happened

Wang posted his result and a step-by-step thread on how he drove GPT-5.6 Sol through Codex on Erdős problems. The thread drew wide attention
for its claim that the workflow needs little mathematical expertise. We read only the first post (fxtwitter) and 36Kr's summary.

## Why it matters

It is an early public recipe for turning a coding agent into a problem-solving loop on open maths problems, published months before the
Erdős-problem wave of September–October 2026. Its claims still need checking against erdosproblems.com.

## What is disputed or not yet verified

- Verification: Unverified claim (X thread); no database update or expert check found

## Your AI and this story

- GPT-6 Astra (training cutoff April 2026): 83 days after its cutoff
- Claude Opus 5.5 (training cutoff June 2026): 22 days after its cutoff
- Gemini 4 Argon (training cutoff March 2026): 113 days after its cutoff
- Grok 4.7 (training cutoff May 2026): 52 days after its cutoff

## Sources

1. [36Kr: GPT-5.6 disproves 30-year graph theory conjecture; Peking University alumnus solves six Erdős problems in five days (24 July)](https://eu.36kr.com/en/p/3908956256605577) (eu.36kr.com, press)
2. [Shouqiao Wang on X: I solved 6 open Erdős problems in 5 days (22 July 2026)](https://x.com/Qiaoqiao2001/status/2080003441821163958) (x.com, discussion)

## Changes

- 2026-10-19 (filed): Created. Late from the 2026-10-19 lead (Fireship video); X post read via fxtwitter

## Related

- 2026-09-27: [Erdős Problem #993 (1987)](https://postcutoff.com/e/2026-09-27-erdos-993-forest-independence-polynomials-unimodal/index.md)
- 2026-07-22: [Dmitry Rybin posts a GPT-5.6 Pro counterexample to the ~30-year-old Dinitz–Garg–Goemans (Goemans cost) conjecture on unsplittable flows](https://postcutoff.com/e/2026-07-22-dinitz-garg-goemans-conjecture-disproved-gpt-5-6-pro/index.md)
- People: [Terence Tao](https://postcutoff.com/person/terence-tao/)
- Archived: 1 post, listed in https://postcutoff.com/e/2026-07-22-shouqiao-wang-six-erdos-problems-gpt-5-6-sol-codex/index.json