{
  "aliases": null,
  "backlinks": null,
  "body": "\n## Problem\n\nFor an integer $n \\ge 1$, consider the $n \\times n$ grid $\\set{1, \\dots, n}^2$ of points in the plane.\nFind the largest number of points of the grid that can be chosen so that no three chosen points are [[collinear|0AFNNTRTJE]].\nIn particular, decide for which $n$ this number equals $2n$.\n\n## Remarks\n\nHenry Dudeney posed the problem in 1900.\nEach of the $n$ rows can contain at most $2$ chosen points, so by the [[pigeonhole principle|0HGVCWQGY3]] at most $2n$ points can be chosen.\nThe bound $2n$ is attained for all $n$ up to at least $46$, by solutions found with computer searches.\nFor a prime $p$, the $p$ points $(x, x^2 \\bmod p)$ with $0 \\le x \u003c p$ have no three in a line, an observation of Erdős.\nIndeed, three of them on a line would give three roots in the field $\\F_p$ of a nonzero polynomial of degree at most $2$.\nHall, Jackson, Sudbery and Wild refined such constructions in 1975.\nThey showed that for every $\\varepsilon \u003e 0$ and all large $n$, at least $(3/2 - \\varepsilon)n$ points can be chosen.\nIt is conjectured that for large $n$ the maximum is strictly less than $2n$.\n\n## Explanations\n\n### L1 human\n\nOn an $n$ by $n$ board of dots, choose as many dots as you can so that no three of your dots lie on a straight line, in any direction.\nTwo dots per row is the most you can hope for, which gives $2n$.\nFor small boards one can reach $2n$, but whether this works for all boards is unknown.\n",
  "commit": "ff8a40749dc16545e3d2fc637f6b0196e81d0bfa",
  "front": {
    "about": [
      "0AFNNTRTJE"
    ],
    "history": {
      "first_stated": "1900",
      "posed_by": "Henry Dudeney"
    },
    "kind": "problem",
    "msc": [
      "52C10",
      "51M04"
    ],
    "name": "No-three-in-line problem",
    "same_as": {
      "wikidata": "Q6580594",
      "wikipedia": "No-three-in-line problem"
    },
    "sources": [
      {
        "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-three-in-line_problem"
      }
    ],
    "tag": "TS442VKWAG",
    "uses": [
      "0AFNNTRTJE",
      "0HGVCWQGY3"
    ]
  },
  "kind": "problem",
  "link": "https://tamnd.github.io/math2/node/TS442VKWAG/",
  "links": [
    {
      "field": "about",
      "target": "0AFNNTRTJE"
    },
    {
      "field": "uses",
      "target": "0AFNNTRTJE"
    },
    {
      "field": "uses",
      "target": "0HGVCWQGY3"
    }
  ],
  "markdown": "https://tamnd.github.io/math2/node/TS442VKWAG.md",
  "msc": [
    "52C10",
    "51M04"
  ],
  "name": "No-three-in-line problem",
  "prov": null,
  "role": "",
  "source": "https://github.com/tamnd/math2/blob/main/nodes/TS4/TS442VKWAG.md",
  "status": null,
  "tag": "TS442VKWAG",
  "uri": "m2://TS442VKWAG",
  "url": "https://tamnd.github.io/math2/wiki/no-three-in-line-problem/",
  "writing": {
    "tag": "TS442VKWAG",
    "kind": "problem",
    "level": "W0",
    "next": [
      {
        "what": "a source with a locator",
        "have": 0,
        "want": 1
      }
    ]
  }
}
