T-089: s(83)≤9.63475764863195 and s(87)≤9.83881526994915, Chang's packings, certified exactly

V3 C3 Upper bound confirmed superseded by T-101 and T-155

2026-09-24 published · Chang, Ellsworth after Cantrell, Hajba, Stenlund, Bidwell; Chang after Ellsworth, Cantrell, Schadt, Hajba, DeVincentis · n=83,87

s(83)≤9.63475764863195 and s(87)≤9.83881526994915, by two packings by Chang, the first optimized by Ellsworth, certified here exactly. The Kingbird catalogue prints their sides as 9.63475764863108, of degree 672, and 9.83881526994826, cut short from 9.838815269948262260..., the root near it of the degree-41 polynomial it prints; it leaves the degree-672 polynomial to the picture's source, whose side a third party's parse reads as 9.634757648631082029.... None of those is certified here.

In the catalogue's words, s(83) was "Improved by Chang in September 2026, with GPT-5.6 Sol and GPT-6 Astra", "Optimized by Ellsworth in September 2026", and its "Polynomial root solution found by Chang in September 2026", improving the Hajba and Cantrell packing by about 6.8e-5; s(87) was "Improved and optimized by Chang in September 2026, working with GPT-6 Astra, with help from 'TheMagicAnimals'", improving Ellsworth's packing of February 2026 by about 2.2e-6.

The catalogue states no checker, and its pictures, which hold the poses, could not be fetched. Each certificate is a third party's binary64 parse of the picture, rounded to rationals and dilated about its centre by 1 + 1e-13: exact rational packings of sides 9.6347576486319454... and 9.8388152699491448..., 8.65e-13 and 8.85e-13 above the printed sides, each decided pair by pair and wall by wall over Q by two checkers of this repository that share no geometry or verification code. Each bound above is that side rounded up at the printed precision.

Chang and Ellsworth, September 2026, in the Squares in Squares catalogue.

Significance, composition and next rung
Significance
Lowers the best known side at two counts, by about 6.8e-5 and 2.2e-6. S2 by the anchor "a citable detail that changes no theorem".
Next rung
V4 and C4 need two adversarial AI reviews by distinct reviewers of the claim and a human oversight record; the review of 2026-10-05 is one. The verified bounds sat 8.7e-13 and 8.9e-13 above the printed sides because the certificates are binary64 parses dilated by 1 + 1e-13; the poses refined on their active contacts, Daniel's exact certificates (T-101), have since brought both cases' verified upper bounds within one unit of the printed sides' last place. A method-distinct second route is what C4 needs.
Novelty
previously-published Present in an identified source

The cases

Case record
Regularized by the Squares Project with Daniel's regularizer (evand/square-packing, MIT)
As published
The packing as published, Hajba 2024 [Kingbird]

n=83

9.379.635
91011
9.11010.110
nn+1

Proven

9.37000≤s(83)≤9.634758

  • exact

Citation record n-083

lowerHosono after Tokoharu, Levy et al. 2026, GitHub (confirmed T-075)

upperHajba et al., Squares in Squares (confirmed T-101, T-155)

Open

  • optimality

The case record

LowerUpper
Gap0.26475764…
Case record
Regularized by the Squares Project with Daniel's regularizer (evand/square-packing, MIT)
As published
The packing as published, Ellsworth 2024 [Kingbird]

n=87

9.589.839
91011
9.32710.327
nn+1

Proven

9.58000≤s(87)≤9.838816

  • exact

Citation record n-087

lowerHosono after Tokoharu, Levy et al. 2026, GitHub (confirmed T-091)

upperEllsworth et al., Squares in Squares (confirmed T-101, T-155)

Open

  • optimality

The case record

LowerUpper
Gap0.25881526…

Results on these cases

14 results in the register on n=83,87, oldest first, each with what it established and how it stands now.

  1. 2005 published T-007 · n=83,87

    s(n)≥min(⌈n⌉,n−2⌊n⌋+1+1) for 4≤n≤324

    V0 C1 Lower bound incomplete on these cases, superseded by T-075 and T-091

    Nagamochi · Nagamochi 2005 · source · register

  2. 2026-09-04 published T-085 · n=83,87

    Nagamochi 2005, Lemma 1 is false for every container with a>3 and b>2

    V3 C3 Correction confirmed

    Karakuş; Vlasenko · Karakuş 2026 · chelokot Nagamochi counterexample 2026 · packet · register

  3. 2026-09-24 published T-089 this result · n=83,87

    s(83)≤9.63475764863195 and s(87)≤9.83881526994915, Chang's packings, certified exactly

    V3 C3 Upper bound confirmed superseded by T-101 and T-155

    Chang, Ellsworth after Cantrell, Hajba, Stenlund, Bidwell; Chang after Ellsworth, Cantrell, Schadt, Hajba, DeVincentis · Chang n83 2026-09-24 · Chang n87 2026-09-24 · packet · packet · register

  4. 2026-09-29 published T-058 · n=83,87

    Rectangle-certificate ceiling α·UB(n) proved for n=1..100; B·UB(n) on 64 grid rows

    V3 C3 Method limit confirmed

    Hosono after Tokoharu, Daniel · wand125 tools 2026 · packet · register

  5. 2026-09-29 published T-083 · n=83,87

    s(n)≥1/2+n−⌊n⌋+1/4 for every nonsquare 8≤n≤324

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed on these cases, superseded by T-075 and T-091

    Karakuş · Karakuş 2026 · source · register

  6. 2026-10-01 published T-068 · n=87

    Rectangle-density lower bounds verified at 34 counts in n=19…95

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed on these cases, superseded by T-091

    Hosono after Tokoharu, Levy, Stromquist, Nagamochi, Burns, Massaccesi · wand125 rectangle bounds 2026-10-01 · packet · source · review · register

  7. 2026-10-02 published T-071 · n=87

    Mixed rectangle-measure lower bounds replayed at n=84…87

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed superseded by T-091

    Hosono after Tokoharu, Levy, Stromquist, Nagamochi, Burns, Massaccesi · wand125 mixed bounds 2026-10-02 · packet · source · review · register

  8. 2026-10-02 published T-073 · n=83

    Linear-measure lower bounds replayed at n=83 and n=101…105

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed on these cases, superseded by T-075

    Hosono after Tokoharu, Levy, Stromquist, Nagamochi, Burns, Massaccesi · wand125 linear certificates 2026-10-02 · packet · source · review · register

  9. 2026-10-02 published T-075 · n=83,87

    Mixed rectangle-measure lower bounds replayed at nine counts in n=83…96

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed

    Hosono after Tokoharu, Levy, Stromquist, Nagamochi, Burns, Massaccesi · wand125 mixed bounds afternoon 2026-10-02 · packet · source 1 · source 2 · review · register

  10. 2026-10-03 published T-082 · n=87

    Mixed rectangle-measure lower bounds verified at 22 counts in n=51…96

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed on these cases, superseded by T-091

    Hosono after Tokoharu, Levy, Stromquist, Nagamochi, Burns, Massaccesi · wand125 mixed bounds 2026-10-03 · packet · packet · source · review · register

  11. 2026-10-04 published T-091 · n=87

    Mixed rectangle-measure lower bounds verified at 17 counts in n=53…95

    V3 C3 Lower bound confirmed

    Hosono after Tokoharu, Levy, Stromquist, Nagamochi, Burns, Massaccesi · wand125 mixed bounds evening 2026-10-04 · packet · source · review · register

  12. 2026-10-05 published T-101 · n=83,87

    Exact certificates of 77 catalogue packings: s(n) ≤ S', 1.2e-16 to 9.8e-15 above each side

    V3 C3 Upper bound confirmed

    Daniel after Couzo, de Winter, Ellsworth, Levy · evand exact optima 2026-10-05 · packet · register

  13. 2026-10-12 established T-155 · n=83,87

    Exact regularized sides at 59 counts, 5.4e-20 to 9.9e-15 below the ceilings they replace

    V3 C3 Upper bound confirmed

    Levy after Daniel · register

  14. 2026-10-13 published T-180 · n=83,87

    Closed-form lower bound s(N)≥a(N) for every non-square N≥49, reported

    V0 C1 Lower bound reviewed on these cases, superseded by T-075 and T-091

    Hosono · wand125 closed form 2026-10-14 · packet · packet · register