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There is something wrong possibly either with me or with Wikipedia.

Wikipedia's article on the strong three exponentials conjecture

defines $L^\ast$ as the set of all complex numbers of the form

$$\beta_0+\sum_{i=1}^n \beta_i\log\alpha_i$$ where all the $\beta_i$ and $\alpha_i$ are algebraic and every branch of the logarithm is considered.

The strong three exponentials conjecture meanwhile states that if $x_1, x_2$, and $y$ are non-zero complex numbers with $x_1/x_2$ and $y/x_2$ both being transcendental, then at least one of the three numbers $x_1 y, x_2 y, x_2/x_1$ is not in $L^\ast$.

This appears a counterexample:

$$ x_1 =\sqrt{2} ,x_2=\frac12 \sqrt{2}\log{2}, y=1$$

$x_1/x_2$ and $y/x_2$ contain $\log{2}$ and are transcendental. The products are: $$ \begin{aligned} x_1 y =& \sqrt{2} \\ x_2 y =& \frac12 \sqrt{2}\log{2}\\ x_2 / x_1 =& \frac12 \log{2} & \end{aligned} $$

and these are visibly in $L^\ast$.

Is this a counterexample?

Is there a more serious reference for the strong three exponentials conjecture?

Couldn't find it on the web and Wikipedia is not allways reliable source.

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    $\begingroup$ The only source cited in the three exponentials section of the WP article is math.jussieu.fr/~miw/articles/pdf/Hyderabad.pdf . Did you look at it? $\endgroup$ Commented Oct 4, 2013 at 11:01
  • $\begingroup$ @Emil thanks. I saw that, but 1.9 appears different from this and the paper doesn't mention strong three exponentials. $\endgroup$
    – joro
    Commented Oct 4, 2013 at 11:04
  • $\begingroup$ Also, the WP article claims the strong 3 exp. conj. follows from the strong 4 exp. conj. Can you produce a counterexample to the latter? If not, this would suggest that the article is in error. $\endgroup$ Commented Oct 4, 2013 at 11:06
  • $\begingroup$ Maybe there's supposed to be a condition, $\alpha_i\ne1$? $\endgroup$ Commented Oct 4, 2013 at 11:55
  • $\begingroup$ @GerryMyerson There might be well missing condition, though your condition is not enough. $y$ can be any algebraic number in the example. $\endgroup$
    – joro
    Commented Oct 4, 2013 at 12:24

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