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75 votes
1 answer
16k views

A number theory problem where pi appears surprisingly

For a given positive integer $M$, the sequence $\{a_n\}$ starts from $a_{2M+1}=M(2M+1)$ and $a_k$ is the largest multiple of $k$ no more than $a_{k+1}+M$, i.e. $$a_k=k\left\lfloor\frac{a_{k+1}+M}{k}\...
Andrew Sakura's user avatar
49 votes
2 answers
19k views

Irrationality of $ \pi e, \pi^{\pi}$ and $e^{\pi^2}$

What is known about irrationality of $\pi e$, $\pi^\pi$ and $e^{\pi^2}$?
Vladimir Reshetnikov's user avatar
43 votes
3 answers
2k views

Proving $\sum_{i=1}^{n}\sum_{j=1}^{n}\left\{\frac{x_{i}}{x_{j}}\right\}\le \frac{9}{14}n^2$?

For any postive integer $n$ and for any postive real numbers $x_{1},x_{2},\cdots,x_{n}$, show that $$\sum_{i=1}^{n}\sum_{j=1}^{n}\left\{\dfrac{x_{i}}{x_{j}}\right\}\le \dfrac{9}{14}n^2$$ Let \begin{...
math110's user avatar
  • 4,280
42 votes
7 answers
5k views

How should an analytic number theorist look at Bessel functions?

(And a related question: Where should an analytic number theorist learn about Bessel functions?) Bessel functions occur quite frequently in analytic number theory. One example, Corollary 4.7 of ...
Frank Thorne's user avatar
  • 7,347
37 votes
1 answer
1k views

A question of Erdős on equidistribution

In his book Metric Number Theory, Glyn Harman mentions the following problem he attributes to Erdős: Let $f(\alpha)$ be a bounded measurable function with period 1. Is it true that $$\lim_{N\...
Brad Rodgers's user avatar
  • 2,151
36 votes
6 answers
2k views

When are some products of gamma functions algebraic numbers?

I want to know when certain expressions of the form $ {\Gamma(r_1/m) \Gamma(r_2/m) \ldots \Gamma(r_j/m) \over \Gamma(s_1/m) \Gamma(s_2/m) \ldots \Gamma(s_j/m)} $ are algebraic numbers. These ...
Michael Lugo's user avatar
34 votes
1 answer
3k views

A remarkable almost-identity

OEIS sequence A210247 gives the signs of $\text{li}(-n,-1/3) = \sum_{k=1}^\infty (-1)^k k^n/3^k$, also the signs of the Maclaurin coefficients of $4/(3 + \exp(4x))$. Mikhail Kurkov noticed that it ...
Robert Israel's user avatar
33 votes
1 answer
3k views

About the validity of a new conjecture about a diophantine equation

Let us consider the following conjecture: Conjecture: There are no integer solutions of the equation $$x^{y-z}z^{x-y}=y^{x-z}$$ with $x,y,z$ distinct positive integers greater than or equal to $2$. ...
Safwane's user avatar
  • 1,197
33 votes
4 answers
3k views

A translation of the Cantor set contained in the irrationals

Let $C$ be the standard Cantor middle-third set. As a consequence of the Baire category theorem, there are numbers $r$ such that $C+r$ consists solely of irrational numbers, see here. What would ...
Andrés E. Caicedo's user avatar
30 votes
3 answers
3k views

Lindelöf hypothesis claim

I was randomly browsing, when I found this puff piece claiming a proof of the Lindelöf hypothesis by Fokas. Note that the Wikipedia article says that he claimed, then withdrew his claim in 2017, but ...
Igor Rivin's user avatar
  • 96.4k
29 votes
12 answers
6k views

When does 'positive' imply 'sum of squares'?

Does anyone have examples of when an object is positive, then it has (or does not have) a square root? Or more generally, can be written as a sum of squares? Example. A positive integer does not ...
27 votes
1 answer
4k views

Polynomials with rational coefficients

Long time ago there was a question on whether a polynomial bijection $\mathbb Q^2\to\mathbb Q$ exists. Only one attempt of answering it has been given, highly downvoted by the way. But this answer isn'...
Wadim Zudilin's user avatar
24 votes
6 answers
3k views

A gamma function identity

In some of my previous work on mean values of Dirichlet L-functions, I came upon the following identity for the Gamma function: \begin{equation} \frac{\Gamma(a) \Gamma(1-a-b)}{\Gamma(1-b)} + \frac{\...
Matt Young's user avatar
  • 4,671
22 votes
9 answers
3k views

When does the zeta function take on integer values?

Here $\zeta(s)$ is the usual Riemann zeta function, defined as $\sum_{n=1}^\infty n^{-s}$ for $\Re(s)>1$. Let $A_n=${$s\;:\;\zeta(s)=n$}. The behaviour of $A_0$ is basically just the Riemann ...
Thomas Bloom's user avatar
  • 7,013
22 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is a real power series that maps rationals to rationals defined by a rational function?

Suppose that the function $p(x)$ is defined on an open subset $U$ of $\mathbb{R}$ by a power series with real coefficients. Suppose, further, that $p$ maps rationals to rationals. Must $p$ be defined ...
Sidney Raffer's user avatar
21 votes
3 answers
3k views

When is $n/\ln(n)$ close to an integer?

As usual I expect to be critisised for "duplicating" this question. But I do not! As Gjergji immediately notified, that question was from numerology. The one I ask you here (after putting it in my ...
Wadim Zudilin's user avatar
21 votes
1 answer
2k views

Trigonometry related to Rogers–Ramanujan identities

For integers $n\ge2$ and $k\ge2$, fix the notation $$ [m]=\sin\frac{\pi m}{nk+1} \quad\text{and}\quad [m]!=[1][2]\dots[m], \qquad m\in\mathbb Z_{>0}. $$ Consider the following trigonometric numbers:...
Wadim Zudilin's user avatar
20 votes
1 answer
1k views

Provable zero-free region for any entire function that analytically is similar to zeta(s)

Is there an entire function $f:\mathbb C\rightarrow\mathbb C$ such that for some $\delta>0$: $f(z)$ is bounded when $\Re z>1+\delta$ $f(z)$ is unbounded when $\Re z=1$ $f(z)$ grows polynomially ...
Ralph Furman's user avatar
  • 1,243
18 votes
3 answers
1k views

A curious series related to the asymptotic behavior of the tetration

The tetration is denoted $^n a$, where $a$ is called the base and $n$ is called the height, and is defined for $n\in\mathbb N\cup\{-1,\,0\}$ by the recurrence $$ {^{-1} a} = 0, \quad {^{n+1} a} = a^{\...
Vladimir Reshetnikov's user avatar
17 votes
3 answers
3k views

Is there an "analytical" version of Tao's uncertainty principle?

Let $p$ be a prime. For $f: \mathbb{Z}/p \mathbb{Z} \rightarrow \mathbb{C}$ let its Fourier transform be: $$\hat f(n) = \frac{1}{\sqrt{p}}\sum_{x \in \mathbb{Z}/p \mathbb{Z}} f(x)\, e\left(\frac{-xn}{...
Rodrigo's user avatar
  • 1,235
17 votes
1 answer
1k views

Catalan's constant fast convergent series

NOTE. UPDATE 2 introduces proven series for Catalan's constant that is possibly the fastest currently known. Working with some conjectured continued fractions that were published here, I have found ...
Jorge Zuniga's user avatar
  • 2,836
17 votes
3 answers
2k views

Recursions which define polynomials

There are many examples (Somos sequences, special polynomials related to rational solutions of the Painleve equations) when a recurrence relation, which a priori produces a sequence of rational ...
Wadim Zudilin's user avatar
16 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why is the functional equation of the Riemann zeta function equivalent to the Poisson summation formula?

We can derive from the Poisson summation formula the modularity of the Theta function, which results in the functional equation. In his book on the Riemann Zeta function, Patterson mentions also that ...
Marc Palm's user avatar
  • 11.2k
16 votes
1 answer
1k views

Open problem in analysis with just one quantifier?

I'm looking for an open problem in analysis or number theory with just one "genuine" or "second order" quantifier. E.g. "Every continuous function $\mathbb{R} \rightarrow \...
16 votes
0 answers
351 views

The convergence domain of the function $\sum \{n!x\}$

This is a problem from a mathematics competition: Does there exist an irrational number $x$ such that the series $$\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\{n!x\}<+\infty$$ where $\{ \}$ means the fractional part of a ...
Fate Lie's user avatar
  • 505
16 votes
0 answers
910 views

Polynomials with presumably positive coefficients

After seeing that some positivity problems get their solutions on MO, I am quite enthusiastic of posing my (and not only) problem of positive flavour. In order to state it, I have to introduce the ...
Wadim Zudilin's user avatar
15 votes
1 answer
738 views

Euler's proof of $\frac{\pi}{6}=1-\frac{1}{2}-\frac{1}{3}+\frac{1}{4}+\frac{1}{5}+\frac{1}{6}-\cdots$

Euler proved $$\frac{\pi}{6}=1-\frac{1}{2}-\frac{1}{3}+\frac{1}{4}+\frac{1}{5}+\frac{1}{6}-\cdots$$ where the reasoning of the signs thus is prepared, so that of the second may be had as $-$, prime ...
Nomas2's user avatar
  • 317
14 votes
9 answers
9k views

Greatest power of two dividing an integer

Does anyone know of a closed form for the function on $\mathbb{N}$ which returns the greatest power of two which divides a given integer? To be more precise, any positive integer $n\in\mathbb{N}$ can ...
Alex Lupsasca's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
604 views

A recursive formula

$$a_0 = 1, \ \ a_{n+1} = \ 1+\frac{n *a_n}{n+a_n} , \ \ n=0,1,2,3,4,...$$ I have built the above recursive formula. Some terms of sequence are: 1, 1, 3/2, 13/7, 73/34, 501/209, 4051/1546, 37633/...
Dimitris Valianatos's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
761 views

If $(a,b,c)$ are the sides of a triangle, then the probability $P(ax + by \ge c) = \frac{4}{\pi^2}\chi_2(x) + \frac{4}{\pi^2}\chi_2(y)$

Posting this question in MO since it is unanswered in MSE Let $(a,b,c)$ be the side of a triangle. In its most general linear form, the triangle inequality can be expressed as: Does $ax + by \ge c$ ...
Nilotpal Kanti Sinha's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
782 views

Cesaro(?)/Euler(?) - summation of the $s(p)=\sum_{k=0}^\infty (-1)^{H(k)} (1+k)^p$ for $p=1,2,3,...$ (where $H(k)$ is the Hamming-weight)

In another thread (in MO) there was a question about a series where the signs at the terms alternate with the "Hamming-weight", that means according to the number of bits in the binary representation ...
Gottfried Helms's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is $\varliminf_{n \rightarrow +\infty} |n \sin n| = 0$ correct, where $n$ is an integer?

Is it true that $\varliminf_{n \rightarrow +\infty} |n \sin n| = 0$, where $n$ runs over the integers? The existence of the limes inferior follows from Dirichlet's approximation theorem, but the ...
Y.X's user avatar
  • 399
13 votes
1 answer
1k views

Apéry's constant $\zeta(3)$ fastest convergent series

UPDATE Feb.02.2024 The series below, Eq.(3) for computing and Eq.(2) for verifying, were applied by Andrew Sun on Dec.22.2023 to get over $2\cdot10^{12}$ decimal digits and break the number of ...
Jorge Zuniga's user avatar
  • 2,836
12 votes
3 answers
2k views

Growth of the "cube of square root" function

Hello all, this question is a variant (and probably a more difficult one) of a (promptly answered ) question that I asked here, at Is it true that all the "irrational power" functions are ...
Ewan Delanoy's user avatar
  • 3,595
12 votes
1 answer
617 views

Convergence of the series involving Mobius functions $\sum_{k,d} \mu(d) x_{kd}$

(I originally asked this question here, but the problem appears much more difficult than I think after a moment of thought, so I think it might be more suitable to post it here. Please tell me if this ...
Ma Joad's user avatar
  • 1,755
12 votes
3 answers
1k views

Distribution of fractional parts of n^{3/2}

What can be said about the limiting distribution of the sequence of fractional parts of $\{n^{a},n>0\}$ for $a\in(1,2)$. I ran a computer experiment for $n\sqrt{n}$ and it looks like uniformly ...
Zarathustra's user avatar
  • 1,414
12 votes
2 answers
552 views

On the independence of lower and upper asymptotic and Banach densities

Given a set $X \subseteq \mathbf N^+$, denote by $\mathsf{d}_\ast(X)$ and $\mathsf{d}^\ast(X)$, respectively, the lower and upper asymptotic (or natural) density of $X$, viz. $$\mathsf{d}_\ast(X) := \...
Salvo Tringali's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
2k views

Reference request: proof of Ramanujan's Cos/Cosh Identity

The Ramanujan Cos/Cosh Identity, as stated here, is $$\left[1+2\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{\cos n\theta}{\cosh n\pi}\right]^{-2}+ \left[1+2\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{\cosh n\theta}{\cosh n\pi}\right]^{-2}=...
Descartes Before the Horse's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
883 views

Do infinitely nested radicals have any applications?

There is a simple necessary and sufficient condition for a continued radical of the form $\sqrt{a_1 + \sqrt{a_2 + \dotsc}}$ to converge (where all terms $a_1, a_2$ etc. are nonnegative). Namely, that ...
wlad's user avatar
  • 4,943
11 votes
0 answers
361 views

Positivity of polynomial sequences via generating series

In this question I address the problem of proving the nonnegativity of a numerical sequence $a_0,a_1,a_2,\dots$ via generating series technique. In the notation $A(x)=\sum_{n=0}^\infty a_nx^n\ge0$ ...
Wadim Zudilin's user avatar
10 votes
3 answers
2k views

Non-vanishing of zeta(s), Re(s)=1, without complex analysis?

Say you are allowed to use Fourier analysis, complex variables, Euler-Maclaurin, etc., but no complex analysis - no holomorphic continuations, no definition of analytic function, and, in particular, ...
H A Helfgott's user avatar
  • 20.2k
10 votes
2 answers
1k views

Prove that the Dirichlet eta function is monotonic

Let us consider $\eta(p):= \sum\limits_{n=1}^\infty \frac{(-1)^{n+1}}{n^p}$ for $p>0$. Has anyone come along with an elementary proof that $\eta(x)$ is monotonically increasing on this set? By ...
Alexander Kuleshov's user avatar
10 votes
7 answers
875 views

$\int_L^\infty \exp(- t - y/t) \, dt = \text{?}$

Let $y>0$, $L>0$. Has the (special?) function given by $$f(y,L) = \int_{L}^\infty e^{- t - y/t} \, dt$$ been studied? Are there precise, simple bounds? Let me try to attempt to reinvent the ...
H A Helfgott's user avatar
  • 20.2k
10 votes
2 answers
784 views

Order of $\zeta(1+it)$

What is known about the order of $\zeta(1+it)$? Iwaniec-Kowalski gives (pp. 226 citing a result of Vinogradov-Korobov) $|\zeta(1+it)| \lesssim (\log t)^{2/3},$ and oppositely Titchmarsh gives (pp....
Brad Rodgers's user avatar
  • 2,151
10 votes
2 answers
1k views

Algebraic independence of exponentials

First of all, a happy new year. Be it better than 2015, healthy, wealthy, fruitful and cross-fertilizing for you, familly and friends. In order to cope with families of solutions of evolution ...
Duchamp Gérard H. E.'s user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
752 views

A conjecture about certain values of the Fabius function

The Fabius function is a smooth monotone function $F:[0,1]\to[0,1]$, satisfying functional equations $$F(0)=0, \quad F(1-x)=1-F(x)\tag1$$ and $$F'(x) = 2 \,F(2 x) \quad \text{for} \,\, 0<x<1/2.\...
Vladimir Reshetnikov's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
474 views

A basic estimate of exponential sums

Demeter in his book "Fourier Restriction, Decoupling, and Applications" (P287) used the following estimate: \begin{equation} \sup_{0\leq n\leq q}\bigg|\sum_{m=0}^n e^{2\pi i\frac{a}{q}m^2}\...
Dapao Zhang's user avatar
10 votes
0 answers
2k views

Questions on de Branges' work on the Riemann hypothesis

According to Wikipedia, Louis de Branges de Bourcia has obtained some notable results, such as a proof of the Bieberbach conjecture in 1985, which is now known as de Branges' theorem. Initially, his ...
mayank's user avatar
  • 163
9 votes
2 answers
877 views

Sum f(p) over all primes convergent with sum f(n) over all natural numbers divergent?

The sum $\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} 1/n^{s}$ is convergent for all real $s>1$ and diverges for all real $s \le 1$. The same holds for the sum $\sum_{p \ prime} 1/p^{s}$. Thus, for the functions $f(n)= 1/n^...
Andreas Rüdinger's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
1k views

On rational functions with rational power series

Let $f(z)=\sum_{n\geq 0}a_n z^n$ be a Taylor series with rational coefficients with infinitely non-zero $a_n$ which converges in a small neighboorhood around $0$. Furthermore, assume that \begin{...
Hugo Chapdelaine's user avatar