1
$\begingroup$

Say $M$ is the number of divisors of an integer. Is there a simple formula for the minimal integer $n$ so that the number of divisors of $n$ is $M$?

$\endgroup$
7
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ If $M$ is ordinary - yes (ordinary in sense defined here - researchgate.net/publication/…). I guess you found that already, but that's my 2¢. $\endgroup$ Sep 4, 2012 at 15:01
  • $\begingroup$ I guess the growth rate is all you could expect to say anything about. $\endgroup$ Sep 4, 2012 at 15:14
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ oeis.org/A005179 - there are references to partial results $\endgroup$ Sep 4, 2012 at 15:21
  • $\begingroup$ Given n has prime factorization with exponents a,b,c..., M is (a+1)(b+1)((c+1)..., and the exponent bases are the first however many primes. You have an upper bound of 2^(M+1), which can be optimized quickly. If M itself has k prime factors, you get (p_k)(kf) as a quick upper bound, where p_k is the kth smallest prime and f is the largest of the k prime factors. However, even a greedy strategy may not yield the minimum, so you will still need to do some searching. Gerhard "Ask Me About System Design" Paseman, 2012.09.04 $\endgroup$ Sep 4, 2012 at 15:28
  • $\begingroup$ Do you insist that the number of divisors is exatly $M$ or is at least $M$ what you are interested in. If you care about exact count note that this then depends quite a bit on the $M$ and not just its rough sizes (and this is what the comments refer to). To highligth something implictly in other comments. If $M$ is prime for example, it is clear that the only eligible $N$ are (M-1)th prime powers, and then clearly one needs to take a power of two. If you care just about at least $M$ this is a different question; then a keyword is "Highly composite number". $\endgroup$
    – user9072
    Sep 4, 2012 at 15:45

0

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.