AMR-021-0014 · Complete counterexample

A Positive-Coefficient Counterexample to the Weighted Forsgård–Shapiro Parity Bound

Manuscript 30 September 2026 · Online 30 September 2026

math.CAmath.CVUnrefereed preprint

Abstract

Forsgård and Shapiro proposed bounding the number of real zeros of a positive-coefficient polynomial by the parity changes among all indices at which (k+1)a_k^2 - k a_(k-1)a_(k+1) is positive. We give a counterexample with positive rational coefficients, parity count one, and at least three distinct negative real zeros. An even-degree shift of a degree-77 reciprocal-block seed makes the undesired weighted local quantities negative. A sufficiently small, strictly log-convex factorial prefix fills every missing coefficient without introducing a parity change or destroying the three roots. The explicit witness has degree 1,000,077; no optimal-degree claim is made. Its coefficients have a compact exact formula.

Record

Affiliation
Mercury Software GmbH
Result
Complete counterexample
Categories
math.CA · math.CV
Manuscript
30 September 2026
Online release
30 September 2026
Version
1.0
License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Files and verification

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Citation

Alper Ferudun, “A Positive-Coefficient Counterexample to the Weighted Forsgård–Shapiro Parity Bound,” EulerSolve Research Papers, AMR-021-0014, 2026. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23051793.

BibTeX
@misc{Ferudun2026AMR0210014,
  author = {Ferudun, Alper},
  title = {A Positive-Coefficient Counterexample to the Weighted Forsgård–Shapiro Parity Bound},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {EulerSolve Research Papers},
  url = {https://eulersolve.org/papers/amr-021-0014/},
  doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23051793},
  note = {AMR-021-0014; unrefereed preprint}
}

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