Questions tagged [irrational-numbers]
An irrational number is a real number that cannot be expressed in the form $\frac{n}{m}$ where $n$ and $m$ are integers.
109
questions
0
votes
0
answers
260
views
Could this weird number be rational, possibly equal to $(4\cdot 37 \cdot 337)/(15^{2}\cdot 17^{2})$?
I am desperately looking to find a simple sequence $(z_n)$ recursively defined, that leads to an irrational number $\lambda$ with the following properties:
$z_n = x_n/q_n$ with $q_n$ a power of 2 and ...
- 3,036
10
votes
2
answers
318
views
Behavior of $\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} (\{n \xi \} - \frac{1}{2})$ for irrational number $\xi$
Consider the series
$$
\sum_{n=1}^{\infty} ( \{ n \xi \} - \frac{1}{2})
$$
where $\{ \}$ denotes the fractional part and $\xi$ is some irrational number. It clearly does not converge but can we show ...
- 177
0
votes
0
answers
65
views
Lowest asymptotic bound to $4^n - 2v_n^2$ where $v$ is an odd integer, $n$ fixed
The general problem is this. I try to find a positive integer $\delta_n$ such $qv_n^2 +\delta_n = p\cdot 4^n$. More precisely, I am looking for a lower bound (depending on $n$) for $\delta_n$ as $n\...
- 3,036
7
votes
0
answers
238
views
Can you identify this irrational number?
There is a certain number, say $v$. I can prove it is irrational. That would be more interesting if it is expressible in terms of known values ... zeta functions, Catalan's number, L-functions, etc. ...
- 39.9k
17
votes
2
answers
583
views
Fractional part power
Does a irrational number $x > 1$ exist such that $\{x^n \} \le \frac{1}{2}$ for
all positive integers $n$ ?
$x=1+ \sqrt 2$ holds for $n$ odd, but not in even
- 551
64
votes
2
answers
5k
views
To prove irrationality, why integrate?
I have been reading David Angell's lovely book, Irrationality and Transcendence in Number Theory, which has given me some fresh insights even with some of the easier proofs. But the book reminds me of ...
- 75.9k
8
votes
2
answers
329
views
Does $x_0=1/3$ lead to periodicity in the logistic map $x_{k+1}=4x_k(1-x_k)$?
Does $x_0=1/3$ lead to periodicity in the logistic map $x_{k+1}=4x_k(1-x_k)$?
I believe it does not, but this is equivalent to proving that $(2\pi)^{-1}\arcsin(\sqrt{1/3})$ is irrational. I am ...
- 3,036
0
votes
0
answers
274
views
Is $\sum\limits_{k=0}^{\infty}\frac{1}{(mk)!^{n+1}}$ irrational?
I was using Wolfram Alpha for things, and I came across $I_{0}(2)$. For fun I tried asking Wolfram Alpha if the number was irrational, but said it's unknown. I believe this is an error, as its ...
- 101
11
votes
4
answers
842
views
Compilation of strategies to show that some constant is irrational
I'm looking into expanding my knowledge in ways to show that some constant is irrational. I'm gonna give some examples of irrationality proofs, and I'm interested in learning what strategies you guys ...
- 573
12
votes
1
answer
940
views
Is $e^{{e^{\ \dots\ }}^n}$ ever an integer?
Let $n$ be a positive integer. It is clear that $e^n$ is not integer because $e$ is transcendental (not algebraic).
Now for each positive integer $k$ let $F^k(n)$ denote the $k$-fold composition of $F(...
- 2,777
-3
votes
1
answer
102
views
Are mantissas of irrationals provably unique, at a given precision? [closed]
Many thanks to all responders!
Is there any research as to the uniqueness of mantissas of irrationals? It's easy to see that the mantissa of the square root of 5 (0.236067977...) and the mantissa of ...
- 1
3
votes
0
answers
202
views
Help with this irrationality proof
I have a real number, that is quite messy so I'll just call it $x$. I want to prove it's irrational. It's a proof by contradiction. The contradiction will rise if I assume $x$ is a rational number $p/...
- 573
0
votes
1
answer
74
views
Irrational combination of rationally independent polynomials
Let $p_1,\dotsc,p_k: \mathbb{N} \to \mathbb{Z}$ be rationally independent polynomials with zero constant term. If $t_1,\dotsc,t_k \in [0,1)$ are not all rational, is it true that the polynomial
$$p(n)...
- 195
13
votes
0
answers
267
views
Convergence of the series $\sum_{n=1}^\infty \frac{(2+\sin n)^n}{3^n n^a}$ for $a\in(0,1)$
This is inspired by this Math.SE question, for $a=1$.
Borwein, Bailey, and Girgensohn pose in their book ([1,Problem 35]) as an open problem the convergence of the series
$$\sum_{n=1}^\infty \frac{(2+\...
- 1,342
4
votes
1
answer
456
views
What is known about constructively irrational numbers?
Intuitively, a constructively irrational number is one for which we can effectively separate it from any rational number in terms of the latter's denominator. More formally, a constructively ...
- 645
1
vote
0
answers
232
views
The power of irrationality: ${\rm sin}(x) + {\rm sin}(\pi x)$ [closed]
I'm a physicist studying undulatory phenomena. Reducing the problem, I find the issue lies on the relative irrationality of the angular frequencies of two superimposed waves. To state it simply, ...
- 119
2
votes
1
answer
201
views
Irrational rotations are rank 2 by intervals without spacers
Let $\alpha$ be an irrational number, and $R_\alpha$ be the rotation by $\alpha$, that is $R_\alpha(x)=x+\alpha\bmod 1$.
S. Ferenczi in his survey [Systems of finite rank. Colloq. Math. 73 (1997), no. ...
- 1,558
16
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Extending Apéry's proof to Catalan's constant?
I've been looking into Apéry's irrationality proof of $\zeta (3)$, and one of the first questions I instantly had, was how did he derive the following continued fraction?
$$\begin{equation*} \zeta (3)=...
- 271
4
votes
1
answer
297
views
Irrationality of this trigonometric function
I'd like to prove the following conjecture.
Let $x = \frac{p}{q}\pi$ be a rational angle ($p,q$ integers, $q \geq 1$).
Then
$f(x) = \frac{2}{\pi} \arccos{\left(2\cos^4(2x)-1 \right)}$
is irrational if ...
- 195
8
votes
1
answer
305
views
Must a continuous $\varphi:\mathbb R^n\to\mathbb R^n$ with $\mathbb Q^n \subseteq \varphi[\mathbb Q^n]$ be surjective?
Let $\varphi:\mathbb R^n \to \mathbb R^n$ be just some continuous function.
If the image of $\varphi$ happens to contain $\mathbb Q^n$, does it follow that in fact all of $\mathbb R^n$ is contained in ...
- 1,513
6
votes
1
answer
310
views
The square root of natural number expressed by an infinite series
Can you prove or disprove the following claim:
Let $U(n,P,Q)$ be the nth generalized Lucas number of the first kind and let $m$ be a natural number. Then,
$$\sqrt{m}=1+\displaystyle\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}...
- 2,643
4
votes
1
answer
505
views
The constant $\pi$ expressed by an infinite series
I am looking for the proof of the following claim:
First, define the function $\operatorname{sgn_1}(n)$ as follows:
$$\operatorname{sgn_1}(n)=\begin{cases} -1 \quad \text{if } n \neq 3 \text{ and } n \...
- 2,643
1
vote
0
answers
206
views
Ergodic Theory and Euler-Mascheroni Constant
I am highly interested in doing research on proving irrationality of some specific numbers like Euler-Mascheroni Constant or $\zeta(5)$. A professor guided me that arithmetic nature of constants are a ...
user288447
8
votes
2
answers
382
views
Are we able to estimate the fraction of the domain where $\cos (ax)+2\cos (b x)$ with $\frac ab \notin\mathbb{Q}$ is positive?
We know that the two functions $\{\;\cos (ax),\;2\cos (b x)\;\}$ where $\frac ab \notin \mathbb{Q}$ are independently positive (and negative) over $\frac 12$ of the domain.
Is it possible to estimate ...
user215601
1
vote
0
answers
71
views
On the degree of irrationality of two irrational numbers and their rational (in)dependence
Let $x$ and $y$ be some irrational numbers. If the degree of irrationality of $x$ is the same as that of $y$, is it necessarily the case that $x$ and $y$ are rationally dependent ?
ADDENDUM: What if $...
5
votes
0
answers
270
views
Is the arithmetic-geometric mean of 1 and 2 rational?
It is easy to show that, for two fixed real numbers $\alpha, \beta > 0$, the sequences given by $a_ 1 = \frac{\alpha + \beta }{2}$, $ g_1 = \sqrt{\alpha\beta}$, and $a_{n+1} = \frac{a_n + g_n}{2}$, ...
- 151
7
votes
1
answer
351
views
Upper bounds on the irrationality measure of the arctan of an algebraic number
Let $x$ be an algebraic number. Must $\arctan(x)/\pi$ have finite irrationality measure? Are there any useful upper bounds?
- 537
31
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How to prove that the solution to $x^{x+1}=(x+1)^{x}$ is transcendental?
I was asked by an high school student if there is an algebraic way to find the exact value of the solution to the equation
\begin{equation}\label{eq}
x^{x+1}=(x+1)^x
\end{equation}
Let us define that ...
- 1,303
1
vote
1
answer
120
views
Rational linear subspace corresponding to an irrational vector
Given a vector $v = (v_1, \ldots, v_n) \in \mathbb{R}^n$, we can associate a rational linear subspace with this vector: assume $\{1, v_i \text{ for }i \in I\}$ is a linear basis of $\{1, v_1, \ldots, ...
- 37
3
votes
1
answer
286
views
Distribution of the first occurrence of a maximum (record) run of zeros in the digits of a normal number (say $\pi$)
If the question was stated to appeal to the general public, it would be something like this. For a number such as $\pi$ or $\sqrt{2}$, the digits in base $b$ appear to be randomly distributed. We are ...
- 3,036
5
votes
1
answer
311
views
Irrationality of $e^{x/y}$
How to prove the following continued fraction of $e^{x/y}$
$${\displaystyle e^{x/y}=1+{\cfrac {2x}{2y-x+{\cfrac {x^{2}}{6y+{\cfrac {x^{2}}{10y+{\cfrac {x^{2}}{14y+{\cfrac {x^{2}}{18y+\ddots }}}}}}}}}}...
- 167
6
votes
1
answer
631
views
Algebraic and rational parts of a real number
Let $\alpha$ be a positive real number. Does it make sense to define the closest rational to $\alpha$ as the number $R(\alpha)=\frac{p_1}{p_2}$ such that $p_1,p_2$ are positive co-prime integers ...
- 3,036
1
vote
0
answers
251
views
Looking for a proof that $\sqrt2 + \sqrt5 + \sqrt[3]3$ is irrational [closed]
What is the easiest way to prove that $\sqrt2+\sqrt5+\sqrt[3]3$ is irrational?
- 27
1
vote
0
answers
49
views
When does the set of possible walk lengths start being $\varepsilon$-dense?
Let $\Gamma$ be a finite directed graph, and suppose each directed edge $e \colon a \to b$ has a positive real length. Suppose given vertices $x, y \in \Gamma$, and suppose there are infinitely many ...
- 5,760
8
votes
1
answer
669
views
An alternative to continued fraction and applications
This post is inspired by the Numberphile video 2.920050977316, advertising the paper A Prime-Representing Constant by Dylan Fridman, Juli Garbulsky, Bruno Glecer, James Grime and Massi Tron Florentin, ...
- 25.1k
8
votes
1
answer
642
views
Is there a real valued function whose limit exists only on irrational numbers?
I have been trying to find a function $f : \mathbb R \to \mathbb R$ such that $\lim_{x \to c} f(x)$ exists when $c$ is irrational and the limit doesn't exist when $c$ is rational.
I tried variations ...
17
votes
0
answers
647
views
Picture of Lambert's proof that $\pi$ is irrational?
With a suitably generous notion of "picture proof" or "proof without words" or "geometric proof," there do exist such proofs of the irrationality of square roots and even ...
- 75.9k
-3
votes
1
answer
253
views
Is the super square root of $2$ irrational? [closed]
The super square root of $n$ is the solution/solutions to $x^x=n$. Is the super square root of $2$ irrational?
- 9
4
votes
1
answer
330
views
Mapping $\mathbb P$ onto $\mathbb Q ^\omega$
Let $\mathbb P$ denote the space of irrationals. Is there a continuous bijection (one-to-one and onto) $f:\mathbb P\to \mathbb Q ^\omega$ that maps each closed subset of $\mathbb P$ to a $G_\delta$-...
- 2,777
0
votes
0
answers
126
views
What numbers (irrational) in radicals are expressible as trigonometric rational fraction with only rational multiplies of $\pi$?
What irrational expressions $A$ with radicals can be expressed as trigonometric rational fraction (not a series) with only rational multiplies of $\pi$.
Example:
$ \frac{1}{\sqrt5} = \frac{\sin\frac{\...
3
votes
0
answers
177
views
Irrationality or transcendence of $i^{i\Omega}$ and $2^\Omega$, with $\Omega=W(1)$ and $W(x)$ being the main branch of Lambert $W$ function
In this post we denote the main (or principal) branch of the Lambert $W$ function as $W(x)$, I add as reference that Wikipedia has the article Lambert $W$ function. The particular value $W(1)=\Omega$ ...
3
votes
0
answers
160
views
What is known about the irrationality of ratios and products of logarithms of integers?
Let $a,b,c,d$ be positive natural numbers such that $\{a,b\} \neq \{c,d\}$ and such that none are perfect powers. Is it true that
$$\frac{\log a \log b}{\log c \log d} \notin \mathbb{Q} ?$$
The ...
- 11.6k
1
vote
0
answers
270
views
Question about proof of irrationality of $\zeta(3)$ [closed]
I'm reading this article of Henri Cohen about Apery's proof of the irrationality of $\zeta(3)$ but I don't really get the details of "THEOREME 1".
My first doubt is about the relation $a_n \sim A \...
- 121
8
votes
2
answers
561
views
Irrationality measure of arctan(1/3)
I recently came across the concept of the irrationality measure. It really fascinated me and when I was looking for known values $\mu(x)$ for mathematical constants $x$, I also came across this paper: ...
- 151
1
vote
1
answer
220
views
Quotients of the irrationals
Everyone knows that there is a closed equivalence relation $\sim$ on the Cantor set $C$ such that each non-trivial equivalence class has exactly $2$ points and $[0,1]\simeq C/\sim$. Thus a closed ...
- 2,777
7
votes
0
answers
223
views
Possible Birkhoff spectra for irrational rotations
Let $\mathbb{T}=\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}$ be the unit circle (think of it as of the interval $[0,1)$ with endpoints identified). Assume that $\alpha$ is irrational and consider the rotation by $\alpha$, ...
- 1,558
2
votes
1
answer
136
views
O(1) or o(logn) discrepancy for multiples of an irrational for at least one sub interval
O(1) or o(logn) discrepancy for multiples of an irrational for at least one sub interval.
Using $\{x\}$ to denote the fraction part of $x$ we can define for any $I\subset [0,1]$,
$$E(n,\theta, I) ={ ...
- 4,590
1
vote
1
answer
134
views
Rational Peano curves
An rr function (i.e. rational rational function) is a quotient
$$ \frac fg\,:\, \Bbb Q\ \to\ \Bbb Q\cup\{\infty\} $$
such that $\ f,g\,\in\,\Bbb Z[X],\ $ where $\ g\ne 0.$
QUESTION Do there exist ...
- 4,542
1
vote
1
answer
619
views
If $x^x=2$ then is $x$ expressible using elementary functions?
I have a curious question. Let $x∈\mathbb{R}^+$ such that $x^x=2$. I am aware that the Gelfond–Schneider theorem implies that $x$ cannot be algebraic. However, is it still possible that $x$ can be ...
- 2,674
4
votes
0
answers
420
views
The irrational numbers α such that n odd and m=⌊nα⌋ odd implies ⌊mα⌋ odd
This post is the analogous of that one (about $\sqrt{2}$) but with a much stronger expectation here.
We observed, and then this comment of Lucia proved, that for $\phi$ the golden ratio, if $n$ ...
- 25.1k