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These are the numbers that can be written in three different ways less than $700,000$:

$120=4\cdot5\cdot6=2\cdot3\cdot4\cdot5=1\cdot2\cdot3\cdot4\cdot5$

$720=8\cdot9\cdot10=2\cdot3\cdot4\cdot5\cdot6=1\cdot2\cdot3\cdot4\cdot5\cdot6$

$5040=7\cdot8\cdot9\cdot10=2\cdot3\cdot4\cdot5\cdot6\cdot7=1\cdot2\cdot3\cdot4\cdot5\cdot6\cdot7$

Additionally, any number of the form $(n!-1)!$ can be expressed in 3 ways. Specifically, $(n!-1)!$, $(n!-1)!/1$, and $n!(n!-1)!/n!$. An example will help explain.

For $n=15$, we have $1\cdot2\cdots(15!-1)=2\cdot3\cdots(15!-1)=16\cdot17\cdots(15!-1)\cdot(15!)$

These are very, very large numbers, where $n=4$ results in $2.58\cdot10^{22}$, and $n=5$ results in $5.57\cdot10^{196}$, but there are infinitely many.

I don't believe I can do the same trick to get a product of consecutive integers in $4$ ways since $n!+1$ doesn't have anything to do with $(n+1)(n+2)\cdots(n+k)$. Maybe some kind of triple factorial but that would have the same issue I fear.


I've learned about the proof regarding when $a(a+1)=b(b+1)(b+2)$ has integer solutions, and how it has a finite number of solutions, but what I don't know is how I would generalize this since this is a much worse form Diophantine equation:

$$x=\prod_{n=0}^{k_1-1}(a_1+n)=\prod_{n=0}^{k_2-1}(a_2+n)=\prod_{n=0}^{k_3-1}(a_3+n)=\prod_{n=0}^{k_4-1}(a_4+n)$$

For distinct integers $k_1<k_2<k_3<k_4$.

We can see clearly that $x$ must be divisible by $60$ since $\{k_1,k_2,k_3,k_4\}=\{2,4,5,6\}$ is the simplest solution possible and if $k_4>6$, it will still be divisible by lcm$(2,3,\cdots,k_4)$, which is divisible by $60$.

$x\ge k_4!>$ lcm$(2,3,\cdots,k_4)$

I think another approach may be to look at the prime factors of the number and see that if $p$ is the largest prime that divide $x$, then any product will have to go through $p$ since $2p$ would be unlikely to be in a sequence of composite numbers that multiply to $x$. Not sure how to express this mathematically.


As a notation question, is it okay to use the same variable $n$ in the $\prod$'s above? I figured it was a little easier to read.


Edit: this is related to A100934 and A064224 in OEIS. It appears that it is an open question that if $n$ is not a factorial number if it can be expressed in more than $2$ different ways. Note the trick where you remove the $1$ is only possible with factorial numbers.

In regards to both factorial and non-factorial: "MacLeod and Barrodale prove that the equation $x(x+1)\cdots(x+m-1) = y(y+1)\cdots(y+n-1)$ has no solutions $x>1$ and $y>1$ for the following pairs of $(m,n): (2,4), (2,6), (2,8), (2,12), (4,8), (5,10)$. They also show that $(2,3)$ has two solutions and $(3,6)$ has one solution. They conjecture that $(2,k)$ has no solution for $k>3$. [T. D. Noe, Jul 29 2009]"

In reference to non-factorial elements in A064224: "The early terms in this sequence each have two representations. Is two the maximum possible? The sequence is infinite: for any n, the number $n\cdot(n+1)\cdots(n^2+n-1)$ is in this sequence. The next number of this form is $20,274,183,401,472,000$, which is obtained when $n=4$. - T. D. Noe, Nov 22 2004"

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    $\begingroup$ This seems a bit similar to Singmaster's conjecture $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 25 at 5:06
  • $\begingroup$ @CommandMaster I think it's very closely related but I'm not sure how translatable it is. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 25 at 5:54
  • $\begingroup$ $15 \cdot 16 \approx 4 \cdot 5 \cdot 6$ but you need an additional $2$, $24 \cdot 25 \approx 4 \cdot 5 \cdot 6$ but you need an additional $5$, ..., maybe while searching like this, you might encounter something. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 25 at 13:22
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    $\begingroup$ An easy way to write an integer as the product of two or more consecutive integers in five ways is as follows: \begin{eqnarray} 5040&=&7\cdot8\cdot9\cdot10=2\cdot3\cdot4\cdot5\cdot6\cdot7=1\cdot2\cdot3\cdot4\cdot5\cdot6\cdot7\\ &=&(-10)\cdot(-9)\cdot(-8)\cdot(-7)=(-7)\cdot(-6)\cdot(-5)\cdot(-4)\cdot(-3)\cdot(-2). \end{eqnarray} I can do even more: $$0=0\cdot1=0\cdot1\cdot2=0\cdot1\cdot2\cdot3=\ldots$$ $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 26 at 19:04
  • $\begingroup$ @Servaes I'm once again punished by my interchanging use of "number" "positive integer" and "integer" lol. Yes that would work, but if we want to include non-positive numbers then $\forall n>0, 0=0\cdot n!$, which has at least 6 solutions. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 27 at 5:03

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