All Questions
80 questions
6
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Difficulty with "A new elementary proof of the Prime Number Theorem" by Richter
I'm studying Richter's "A new elementary proof of the Prime Number Theorem" paper, and I'm finding some problems understanding some parts of it. For example, I don't see how to get, in Lemma ...
4
votes
1
answer
255
views
First occurrence of formula for $\sum_{n\leq x} \mu(n) \log n$ in terms of $\psi(y)-\lfloor y\rfloor$?
The identity contained in the last two displayed equations in the following passage (from page 110 in Ayoub's An Introduction to the Analytic Theory of Numbers, 1963) gives us right away a simple ...
4
votes
0
answers
151
views
Identities to go from $\sum_{n\leq x} \mu(n) \log \frac{x}{n}$ to $M(x) = \sum_{n\leq x} \mu(n)$?
Let $\mu$ be the Möbius function. Say we have a bound on $\check{M}(x) = \sum_{n\leq x} \mu(n) \log \frac{x}{n}$ of the form $|\check{M}(x)|\leq \epsilon x$ for all $x\geq x_0$.
It is then easy to ...
3
votes
0
answers
192
views
What smoothing to use for PNT-like results?
Consider a Dirichlet series $\sum_n a_n n^{-s}$ with desirable analytic properties (e.g., analytic extension to $\Re s>0$); one example would be $a_n=\mu(n)$. Say we want to estimate $\sum_{n\leq x}...
11
votes
4
answers
707
views
Deriving an asymptotic for $\pi(x)$ directly from $\log \zeta(s)$?
Denote by $\pi(x)$ the number of primes $p\leq x$. We generally give approximations for $\pi(x)$ by first approximating $\psi(x) = \sum_{n\leq x} \Lambda(n)$. Part of the reason is presumably that, if ...
8
votes
1
answer
245
views
Asymptotic density of sums of consecutive primes
Call a positive integer respectable if it is a sum of consecutive prime numbers. For example, every prime numbers is respectable. So are $3+5=8$, $2+3+5=10$, $5+7=12$, $3+5+7=15$, $2+3+5+7=17$, $7+11=...
5
votes
1
answer
737
views
Smallest prime factor of numbers
The literature refers to smooth integers as \begin{equation}\Psi(x,y):=\#\{n\le x:P_1(n)\le y\},\end{equation} where $P_1(n)$ is the largest prime factor of $n$. There are lots of results studying $\...
2
votes
2
answers
424
views
"Squeezing" the primes?
The logical idea here is to map a curve that encodes the primes into the region $(0,1)^2$ and analyze the distribution there more easily and achieve tight bounds.
To assess the distribution of primes, ...
3
votes
1
answer
541
views
Prime number theorem via the explicit formula
Can the prime number theorem be obtained from the explicit formula,
$\psi(x)=x-\sum_{\zeta(\rho)=0}\frac{x^\rho}{\rho}+O(1)$?
Here, $\psi(x)=\sum_{k=1}^\infty\sum_{p^k<x}\log p$
10
votes
1
answer
398
views
Vinogradov-Korobov prime number theorem for number fields
Without assuming the Riemann hypothesis, the traditional error bound of the prime-counting function $\pi(x)$ is $O(x\exp(-c(\log(x))^{1/2}))$. As shown by the Wikipedia page for the Landau prime ...
11
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Mertens-like theorem
Mertens' first theorem states that
$$
\sum_{p \leq n} \frac{\log p}{p} = \log n + O(1).
$$
I read in this paper that the following variant is "classical":
$$
\sum_{p \leq n} \frac{\log p}{p -...
21
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Why is the Chebyshev function relevant to the Prime Number Theorem
Why is the Chebyshev function
$\theta(x) = \sum_{p\le x}\log p$
useful in the proof of the prime number theorem. Does anyone have a conceptual argument to motivate why looking at $\sum_{p\le x} \log ...
13
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Proving Mertens' theorem using the prime number theorem
Mertens' Theorem states that
$$\sum_{p \leq x}\frac{1}{p} = \log \log x + M + O(1/\log x).$$
This is weaker than the prime number theorem; in fact according to the Wikipedia page, the prime number ...
1
vote
1
answer
122
views
Best possible unconditional partial sum estimate of $\sum_{p\leq x}\frac{\ln(p)}{({p})^{n/2}}$:
Consider the following partial sum:
$$S(x,n)=\sum_{p\leq x}\frac{\ln(p)}{({p})^{n/2}}$$
Here p runs through primes and $n$ is constant
What is the best possible unconditional( using best known version ...
30
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Heuristic argument for the prime number theorem?
Here is a bad heuristic argument for the prime number theorem. Let $n$ be a positive integer and assume that PNT holds up to $n$. Then $n$ itself is prime if and only if for each prime $p<n$ the ...
2
votes
1
answer
283
views
Explicit bounds on number of primes of given size
How many prime numbers of $b$ bits are there?
Beyond the prime number theorem, one can give explicit bounds on the number of primes below some integer $n$, or in a given interval. For instance, Rosser ...
10
votes
0
answers
416
views
Are prime numbers among sums of prime numbers distributed as $\frac n{2\ln(n)}$?
Let $(s_n)_{n\in\mathbb N}$ be defined as follows:
For $n\in\mathbb N$, $s_n:=2+3+5+\cdots+p_n$ is the sum of the first $n$ prime numbers (e.g.: $s_1=2$, $s_2=5$, $s_3=10$, $s_4=17$, $\ldots$).
Let $\...
0
votes
0
answers
136
views
Bounded sums involving primes
I'm trying to generalize the Theorem 2.7.1 in [1] where they prove:
$$\sum_{p \leq x} f(p) = \int_{2}^{x} \frac{f(t)}{\log{t}} dt + \epsilon(x)f(x) - \int_{2}^{x} \epsilon(t) f^{'}(t) dt $$
where $\...
1
vote
1
answer
317
views
An explicit value for a bound proof
I saw a proof that $|p_n - li^{-1}(n)| \leq n e^{-c \sqrt{\ln(n)}} $,
without saying anything about $c$ !
My questions is, what the explicit value of $c$ ??
It just says for some number $c$ without ...
1
vote
1
answer
310
views
Asymptotic lower bound for the number of square free with at least two prime factors
In one of Soundararajan's papers, he claims without proof that it is a standard exercise to show that the number $N(X)$ of positive square-free integers $d \equiv 1 \; \bmod \; 8$ less than $X$, with ...
3
votes
3
answers
380
views
Oscillations of $\theta(x)-x$, for the Chebyshev $\theta$ function
Is anything known about the relative "periodicity" of the oscillations of $\theta(x)-x$, that is, how frequent, in general terms, are the sign changes? Here, $\theta(x)$ is the Chebyshev $\theta$. ...
2
votes
1
answer
461
views
How essential is the vanishing of the Dirichlet $L$-functions to Dirichlet's theorem on primes in arithmetic progressions?
I seem to recall that the prime number theorem (PNT) is equivalent to the fact that the Riemann zeta function $\zeta(s)$ is non-zero on all of $\text{Re}(s) = 1$ (see https://math.stackexchange.com/...
6
votes
2
answers
392
views
A lower-bound for the square-mean of Fourier coefficients of cusp forms at primes argument
There is a basis question which puzzles me for a while. The question is the following:
Let $X\ge 2,$ and $\lambda(n)$ be the $n$-th Fourier coefficient of a $GL(2)$ newform of prime level $N>1$, ...
2
votes
0
answers
313
views
Proving that the Riemann zeta function is zero free on Re=1 using the prime number theorem
Is $\frac{-\zeta'(s)}{\zeta(s)}+\frac{-s}{s-1}$ an analytic continuation, holomorphic for $Re\ s > 0,\ s\neq 1$, of $f(s)=s\int_{1}^{\infty}\frac{\psi(x)-x}{x^{s+1}}\mathrm{d}x$?
If so: Let $s_{0}$ ...
4
votes
1
answer
395
views
Mertens formulas aren't enough for prime number theorem
For the primes it's true that
$$
\sum_{p \le x}\frac{1}{p} = \ln\ln x + M + O(1/\ln x)
$$
where, $M$ is suitable constant, and, moreover, the prime number theorem gives that
$$
\lim_{x\to\infty}\frac{\...
7
votes
2
answers
636
views
How to use the Prime Number Theorem in order to prove Selberg's Formula?
I`m reading Melvin B. Nathanson's "Elementary Methods in Number Theory"
and I can't think of a way of deducing Selberg's formula (9.3) from the prime number theorem.
This is one of the tasks ...
1
vote
1
answer
181
views
Density of gaussian primes inside consecutive disks centered along the real axis of complex plane
Let's define the family of consecutive subsets of $\mathbb{N}$:
$$S_n =\{x \in \mathbb{N}\,:\,|x-n^2|\le n\}$$
With the previous definition we have that
$$U_n=\bigcup_{k=1}^n S_k=\{x \in \mathbb{N}\,:\...
-2
votes
1
answer
181
views
Polynomials of minimum degree that interpolate primes in intervals
Given an interval $[a,b]$ what is the minimum degree of univariate polynomials in $\mathbb Q[x]$ that passes through all primes between $a$ and $b$ (denoted by $\mathbb P[a,b]$ with total number of ...
6
votes
1
answer
499
views
Understanding Sylvester' s $1871$ paper of primes in arithmetic progression of the forms $4n+3$ and $6n+5$
The following is the proof of infinitude of primes in arithmetic progression of the form $4n+3$ and $ 6n+5$ done by Sylvester in $1871$ in his paper "On the theorem that an arithmetical progression ...
5
votes
2
answers
435
views
Proving certain inequality related to Primes
I was reading the following paper. But I can't understand why the last line concerning $\frac{2}{\pi}$ is true. The proof is a work of Sylvester.
I would be happy if someone helps me in understanding ...
15
votes
5
answers
9k
views
Upper bounds for the sum of primes up to $n$
Let $s(n)$ denote the sum of primes less than or equal to n. Clearly, $s(n)$ is bounded from above by the sum of the first $n/2$ odd integers $+1$. $s(n)$ is also bounded by the sum of the first $n$ ...
14
votes
1
answer
1k
views
A naive question about the prime number theorem
Let $\psi(x)=\sum_{n\leq x} \Lambda(n)$, where $\Lambda(n)$ is the von Mangoldt function.
Then as Chebyshev showed, the following equality holds
$$\sum_{n\leq x} \psi(x/n)=x\log(x)-x+O(\log(x)).$$
My ...
4
votes
2
answers
674
views
Counting prime ideals and an explicit Landau prime ideal theorem
Let $K$ be a number field, $\mathcal O_K$ be its ring of integers, and $\mathfrak p$ be a prime ideal of $\mathcal O_K$. Let $x\in \mathbb R^+$, and $N(\mathfrak p)$ be the norm of the prime ideal $\...
0
votes
0
answers
167
views
On the difference $\operatorname{Li}(\theta(x))-\pi(x)$
In G. Robin's paper, more precisely in Lemme12, how does he use formula (39) to prove formula (36)?
[1] Robin, Guy, "Estimation de la fonction de Tchebychef θ sur le k -ième nombre premier et ...
1
vote
1
answer
867
views
$n$th prime: a better approximation
Let $p_n$ be the $n$-th prime, then from Wikipedia I got that
$p_n \approx n \left(\ln n + \ln \ln n -1 + \frac{\ln \ln n-2}{\ln n}+\frac{6\ln \ln n-( \ln \ln n)^2-11}{\ln^2 n} \right)$.
What is a ...
0
votes
1
answer
169
views
Reference request for this equivalence of the prime number theorem
Let $\psi(x)=\sum_{p^{k}\leq x} \log p$, $k\in \mathbb{N}$. If i recall correctly, the convergence of the integral $s\int_{1}^{\infty} (\psi(x)-x)x^{-s-1} \mathrm{d}x$ at $s=1$ is equivalent to the ...
15
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Elementary lower bounds for the number of primes in arithmetic progressions
Some version of the Prime Number Theorem provides the asymptotic behavior of the number of primes in arithmetic progression $qn+a$ with $(q,a)=1$, $n \ge 1$. I was wondering there are Chebyshev-type ...
0
votes
1
answer
474
views
An upper bound for $\sqrt{p_{n+1}}$
Let $C$ be a positive constant. Is it true that for all sufficiently large integers $n$ the inequality $$\prod_{i=1}^n (1+\frac{1}{\sqrt{p_i}})>C\sqrt{p_{n+1}}$$ holds? (Here with $p_k$ is denoted ...
0
votes
1
answer
256
views
Lower bound for $\prod_{p\equiv 3 \pmod 4} p^{v_p(n!)}$
What is the best lower bound known for $$\prod_{p\equiv 3 \pmod 4} p^{v_p(n!)},$$ where the product is taken over all the primes(congruent to $3$ modulo $4$) less than or equal to $n$.
3
votes
2
answers
386
views
Prime divisors of $\prod_{i=1}^n (i^2+1)$
Is it true that for every positive integer $n$ there is a prime $p>n,$ which divides $\prod_{i=1}^n (i^2+1)$ ?
5
votes
0
answers
194
views
Asymptotic expansion for the average of $\omega(n)^2$
Let $\omega(n)$ be the prime factors counting function. I computed that for any $k\geq 0$, there exist certain constants $c_{-1},c_0,c_1,c_2,...c_k$ such that
$$\sum_{n\leq x}\omega(n)^2=x(\log\log x)...
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
A curious prime counting approximation or just data overfitting?
I am not sure, if this is a research problem. If not I will move this question to ME:
Let $\Omega(n) = \sum_{p|n} v_p(n)$, which we might view as a random variable.
Let $E_n = \frac{1}{n} \sum_{k=1}^n\...
36
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Why do primes dislike dividing the sum of all the preceding primes?
I was investigating primes with the property that the sum of the first $n$ primes is divisible by $p_n$. It turns out that these primes are extremely extremely rare. For primes less than $10^9$, I ...
5
votes
1
answer
297
views
Landau's theorem using nth roots
This question was asked earlier at MSE .
Let $\omega$(n) denote the number of distinct primes dividing $n$. The Mobius function is defined as $\mu(n) = (-1)^{\omega(n)}$ if $n$ is squarefree and $\...
6
votes
0
answers
333
views
Explicit bounds for the Mertens function
It is a consequence of some forms of the prime number theorem that with $\mu$ the Möbius function, for all $A > 0$, there exists $c_A$ such that for all sufficiently large $x$, $$\frac{1}{x}\sum_{n\...
50
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Motivated account of the prime number theorem and related topics
Though my own research interests (described below) are pretty far from analytic number theory, I have always wanted to understand the prime number theorem and related topics. In particular, I often ...
6
votes
2
answers
411
views
A simultaneous generalization of the Grunwald-Wang and Dirichlet Theorems on primes
By Grunwald-Wang Theorem, if for some odd number $n$ the equation $x^n=a$ has no solutions in $\mathbb Z$, then the equation $x^n=a\mod p$ has no solutions for some prime number $p$. I am interested ...
6
votes
2
answers
389
views
asymptotic for li(x)-Ri(x)
Is it true that $$\operatorname{li}(x)-\operatorname{Ri}(x) \sim \frac{1}{2}\operatorname{li}(x^{1/2}) \ (x \to \infty),$$
where
$$\operatorname{Ri}(x) = \sum_{n = 1}^\infty \frac{\mu(n)}{n} \...
3
votes
0
answers
206
views
Cancellation in this exponential sum?
I would like to know whether it is possible to obtain cancellation in the sum
$$\sum_{p \leq X} e^{{2\pi iX}/{p}}$$
where $X$ is a real number that goes to $\infty$, and $p$ denotes a prime number.
13
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Asymptotics of the n-th prime using the gamma function
In the paper http://rgmia.org/papers/v8n2/eepnt.pdf, the author proves that proves an explicit inequality on prime numbers using the gamma function and as a corollary, he showed that.
$$
p_n = n \...