In
number theory, an arithmetic, arithmetical, or number-theoretic function is for most authors any
function ''f''(''n'') whose domain is the
positive integers and whose range is a
subset
In mathematics, Set (mathematics), set ''A'' is a subset of a set ''B'' if all Element (mathematics), elements of ''A'' are also elements of ''B''; ''B'' is then a superset of ''A''. It is possible for ''A'' and ''B'' to be equal; if they are ...
of the
complex numbers. Hardy & Wright include in their definition the requirement that an arithmetical function "expresses some arithmetical property of ''n''".
An example of an arithmetic function is the
divisor function whose value at a positive integer ''n'' is equal to the number of divisors of ''n''.
There is a larger class of number-theoretic functions that do not fit the above definition, for example, the
prime-counting function
In mathematics, the prime-counting function is the function counting the number of prime numbers less than or equal to some real number ''x''. It is denoted by (''x'') (unrelated to the number ).
History
Of great interest in number theory is t ...
s. This article provides links to functions of both classes.
Arithmetic functions are often extremely irregular (see
table), but some of them have series expansions in terms of
Ramanujan's sum
In number theory, Ramanujan's sum, usually denoted ''cq''(''n''), is a function of two positive integer variables ''q'' and ''n'' defined by the formula
: c_q(n) = \sum_ e^,
where (''a'', ''q'') = 1 means that ''a'' only takes on values coprime ...
.
Multiplicative and additive functions
An arithmetic function ''a'' is
*
completely additive if ''a''(''mn'') = ''a''(''m'') + ''a''(''n'') for all natural numbers ''m'' and ''n'';
*
completely multiplicative if ''a''(''mn'') = ''a''(''m'')''a''(''n'') for all natural numbers ''m'' and ''n'';
Two whole numbers ''m'' and ''n'' are called
coprime if their
greatest common divisor is 1, that is, if there is no
prime number that divides both of them.
Then an arithmetic function ''a'' is
*
additive if ''a''(''mn'') = ''a''(''m'') + ''a''(''n'') for all coprime natural numbers ''m'' and ''n'';
*
multiplicative if ''a''(''mn'') = ''a''(''m'')''a''(''n'') for all coprime natural numbers ''m'' and ''n''.
Notation
In this article,
and
mean that the sum or product is over all
prime numbers:
and
Similarly,
and
mean that the sum or product is over all
prime powers with strictly positive exponent (so is not included):
The notations
and
mean that the sum or product is over all positive divisors of ''n'', including 1 and ''n''. For example, if , then
The notations can be combined:
and
mean that the sum or product is over all prime divisors of ''n''. For example, if ''n'' = 18, then
and similarly
and
mean that the sum or product is over all prime powers dividing ''n''. For example, if ''n'' = 24, then
Ω(''n''), ''ω''(''n''), ''ν''''p''(''n'') – prime power decomposition
The
fundamental theorem of arithmetic states that any positive integer ''n'' can be represented uniquely as a product of powers of primes:
where ''p''
1 < ''p''
2 < ... < ''p''
''k'' are primes and the ''a
j'' are positive integers. (1 is given by the empty product.)
It is often convenient to write this as an infinite product over all the primes, where all but a finite number have a zero exponent. Define the
''p''-adic valuation ν
''p''(''n'') to be the exponent of the highest power of the prime ''p'' that divides ''n''. That is, if ''p'' is one of the ''p''
''i'' then ''ν''
''p''(''n'') = ''a''
''i'', otherwise it is zero. Then
In terms of the above the
prime omega functions ω and Ω are defined by
To avoid repetition, whenever possible formulas for the functions listed in this article are given in terms of ''n'' and the corresponding ''p''
''i'', ''a''
''i'', ω, and Ω.
Multiplicative functions
σ''k''(''n''), τ(''n''), ''d''(''n'') – divisor sums
σ''k''(''n'') is the sum of the ''k''th powers of the positive divisors of ''n'', including 1 and ''n'', where ''k'' is a complex number.
σ
1(''n''), the sum of the (positive) divisors of ''n'', is usually denoted by σ(''n'').
Since a positive number to the zero power is one, σ
0(''n'') is therefore the number of (positive) divisors of ''n''; it is usually denoted by ''d''(''n'') or τ(''n'') (for the German ''Teiler'' = divisors).
Setting ''k'' = 0 in the second product gives
φ(''n'') – Euler totient function
φ(''n''), the Euler totient function, is the number of positive integers not greater than ''n'' that are coprime to ''n''.
J''k''(''n'') – Jordan totient function
J''k''(''n''), the Jordan totient function, is the number of ''k''-tuples of positive integers all less than or equal to ''n'' that form a coprime (''k'' + 1)-tuple together with ''n''. It is a generalization of Euler's totient, .
μ(''n'') – Möbius function
μ(''n''), the Möbius function, is important because of the
Möbius inversion formula. See
Dirichlet convolution, below.
This implies that μ(1) = 1. (Because Ω(1) = ω(1) = 0.)
τ(''n'') – Ramanujan tau function
τ(''n''), the Ramanujan tau function, is defined by its
generating function
In mathematics, a generating function is a way of encoding an infinite sequence of numbers () by treating them as the coefficients of a formal power series. This series is called the generating function of the sequence. Unlike an ordinary seri ...
identity:
Although it is hard to say exactly what "arithmetical property of ''n''" it "expresses", (''τ''(''n'') is (2π)
−12 times the ''n''th Fourier coefficient in the
q-expansion of the
modular discriminant function) it is included among the arithmetical functions because it is multiplicative and it occurs in identities involving certain σ
''k''(''n'') and ''r''
''k''(''n'') functions (because these are also coefficients in the expansion of
modular form
In mathematics, a modular form is a (complex) analytic function on the upper half-plane satisfying a certain kind of functional equation with respect to the Group action (mathematics), group action of the modular group, and also satisfying a grow ...
s).
''c''''q''(''n'') – Ramanujan's sum
''c''''q''(''n''), Ramanujan's sum, is the sum of the ''n''th powers of the primitive ''q''th
roots of unity:
Even though it is defined as a sum of complex numbers (irrational for most values of ''q''), it is an integer. For a fixed value of ''n'' it is multiplicative in ''q'':
:If ''q'' and ''r'' are coprime, then
''ψ''(''n'') - Dedekind psi function
The
Dedekind psi function
In number theory, the Dedekind psi function is the multiplicative function on the positive integers defined by
: \psi(n) = n \prod_\left(1+\frac\right),
where the product is taken over all primes p dividing n. (By convention, \psi(1), which is t ...
, used in the theory of
modular functions, is defined by the formula
Completely multiplicative functions
λ(''n'') – Liouville function
''λ''(''n''), the Liouville function, is defined by
''χ''(''n'') – characters
All
Dirichlet characters ''χ''(''n'') are completely multiplicative. Two characters have special notations:
The principal character (mod ''n'') is denoted by ''χ''
0(''a'') (or ''χ''
1(''a'')). It is defined as
The quadratic character (mod ''n'') is denoted by the
Jacobi symbol for odd ''n'' (it is not defined for even ''n''):
In this formula
is the
Legendre symbol
In number theory, the Legendre symbol is a multiplicative function with values 1, −1, 0 that is a quadratic character modulo an odd prime number ''p'': its value at a (nonzero) quadratic residue mod ''p'' is 1 and at a non-quadratic residu ...
, defined for all integers ''a'' and all odd primes ''p'' by
Following the normal convention for the empty product,
Additive functions
''ω''(''n'') – distinct prime divisors
ω(''n''), defined above as the number of distinct primes dividing ''n'', is additive (see
Prime omega function).
Completely additive functions
Ω(''n'') – prime divisors
Ω(''n''), defined above as the number of prime factors of ''n'' counted with multiplicities, is completely additive (see
Prime omega function).
''ν''''p''(''n'') – ''p''-adic valuation of an integer ''n''
For a fixed prime ''p'', ''ν''
''p''(''n''), defined above as the exponent of the largest power of ''p'' dividing ''n'', is completely additive.
Logarithmic derivative
, where
is the arithmetic derivative.
Neither multiplicative nor additive
(''x''), Π(''x''), ''θ''(''x''), ''ψ''(''x'') – prime-counting functions
These important functions (which are not arithmetic functions) are defined for non-negative real arguments, and are used in the various statements and proofs of the
prime number theorem
In mathematics, the prime number theorem (PNT) describes the asymptotic distribution of the prime numbers among the positive integers. It formalizes the intuitive idea that primes become less common as they become larger by precisely quantifying ...
. They are summation functions (see the main section just below) of arithmetic functions which are neither multiplicative nor additive.
(''x''), the prime-counting function, is the number of primes not exceeding ''x''. It is the summation function of the
characteristic function of the prime numbers.
A related function counts prime powers with weight 1 for primes, 1/2 for their squares, 1/3 for cubes, ... It is the summation function of the arithmetic function which takes the value 1/''k'' on integers which are the k-th power of some prime number, and the value 0 on other integers.
''θ''(''x'') and ''ψ''(''x''), the Chebyshev functions, are defined as sums of the natural logarithms of the primes not exceeding ''x''.
The Chebyshev function ''ψ''(''x'') is the summation function of the von Mangoldt function just below.
Λ(''n'') – von Mangoldt function
Λ(''n''), the von Mangoldt function, is 0 unless the argument ''n'' is a prime power , in which case it is the natural log of the prime ''p'':
''p''(''n'') – partition function
''p''(''n''), the partition function, is the number of ways of representing ''n'' as a sum of positive integers, where two representations with the same summands in a different order are not counted as being different:
λ(''n'') – Carmichael function
''λ''(''n''), the Carmichael function, is the smallest positive number such that
for all ''a'' coprime to ''n''. Equivalently, it is the
least common multiple of the orders of the elements of the
multiplicative group of integers modulo ''n''.
For powers of odd primes and for 2 and 4, ''λ''(''n'') is equal to the Euler totient function of ''n''; for powers of 2 greater than 4 it is equal to one half of the Euler totient function of ''n'':
and for general ''n'' it is the least common multiple of λ of each of the prime power factors of ''n'':
''h''(''n'') – Class number
''h''(''n''), the class number function, is the order of the
ideal class group of an algebraic extension of the rationals with
discriminant
In mathematics, the discriminant of a polynomial is a quantity that depends on the coefficients and allows deducing some properties of the roots without computing them. More precisely, it is a polynomial function of the coefficients of the origi ...
''n''. The notation is ambiguous, as there are in general many extensions with the same discriminant. See
quadratic field and
cyclotomic field for classical examples.
''r''''k''(''n'') – Sum of ''k'' squares
''r''''k''(''n'') is the number of ways ''n'' can be represented as the sum of ''k'' squares, where representations that differ only in the order of the summands or in the signs of the square roots are counted as different.
''D''(''n'') – Arithmetic derivative
Using the
Heaviside notation for the derivative, the
arithmetic derivative ''D''(''n'') is a function such that
*
if ''n'' prime, and
*
(the
product rule)
Summation functions
Given an arithmetic function ''a''(''n''), its summation function ''A''(''x'') is defined by
''A'' can be regarded as a function of a real variable. Given a positive integer ''m'', ''A'' is constant along
open interval
In mathematics, a (real) interval is a set of real numbers that contains all real numbers lying between any two numbers of the set. For example, the set of numbers satisfying is an interval which contains , , and all numbers in between. Other ...
s ''m'' < ''x'' < ''m'' + 1, and has a
jump discontinuity
Continuous functions are of utmost importance in mathematics, functions and applications. However, not all functions are continuous. If a function is not continuous at a point in its domain, one says that it has a discontinuity there. The set of ...
at each integer for which ''a''(''m'') ≠ 0.
Since such functions are often represented by series and integrals, to achieve pointwise convergence it is usual to define the value at the discontinuities as the average of the values to the left and right:
Individual values of arithmetic functions may fluctuate wildly – as in most of the above examples. Summation functions "smooth out" these fluctuations. In some cases it may be possible to find
asymptotic behaviour for the summation function for large ''x''.
A classical example of this phenomenon is given by the
divisor summatory function, the summation function of ''d''(''n''), the number of divisors of ''n'':
An
average order of an arithmetic function is some simpler or better-understood function which has the same summation function asymptotically, and hence takes the same values "on average". We say that ''g'' is an ''average order'' of ''f'' if
as ''x'' tends to infinity. The example above shows that ''d''(''n'') has the average order log(''n'').
Dirichlet convolution
Given an arithmetic function ''a''(''n''), let ''F''
''a''(''s''), for complex ''s'', be the function defined by the corresponding
Dirichlet series (where it
converges):
''F''
''a''(''s'') is called a
generating function
In mathematics, a generating function is a way of encoding an infinite sequence of numbers () by treating them as the coefficients of a formal power series. This series is called the generating function of the sequence. Unlike an ordinary seri ...
of ''a''(''n''). The simplest such series, corresponding to the constant function ''a''(''n'') = 1 for all ''n'', is ''ς''(''s'') the
Riemann zeta function
The Riemann zeta function or Euler–Riemann zeta function, denoted by the Greek letter (zeta), is a mathematical function of a complex variable defined as \zeta(s) = \sum_^\infty \frac = \frac + \frac + \frac + \cdots for \operatorname(s) > ...
.
The generating function of the Möbius function is the inverse of the zeta function:
Consider two arithmetic functions ''a'' and ''b'' and their respective generating functions ''F''
''a''(''s'') and ''F''
''b''(''s''). The product ''F''
''a''(''s'')''F''
''b''(''s'') can be computed as follows:
It is a straightforward exercise to show that if ''c''(''n'') is defined by
then
This function ''c'' is called the
Dirichlet convolution of ''a'' and ''b'', and is denoted by
.
A particularly important case is convolution with the constant function ''a''(''n'') = 1 for all ''n'', corresponding to multiplying the generating function by the zeta function:
Multiplying by the inverse of the zeta function gives the
Möbius inversion formula:
If ''f'' is multiplicative, then so is ''g''. If ''f'' is completely multiplicative, then ''g'' is multiplicative, but may or may not be completely multiplicative.
Relations among the functions
There are a great many formulas connecting arithmetical functions with each other and with the functions of analysis, especially powers, roots, and the exponential and log functions. The page
divisor sum identities contains many more generalized and related examples of identities involving arithmetic functions.
Here are a few examples:
Dirichlet convolutions
:
where ''λ'' is the Liouville function.
:
::
Möbius inversion
:
::
Möbius inversion
:
:
:
::
Möbius inversion
:
::
Möbius inversion
:
::
Möbius inversion
:
:
where λ is the
Liouville function.
:
::
Möbius inversion
Sums of squares
For all
(
Lagrange's four-square theorem).
:
where the
Kronecker symbol has the values
:
There is a formula for r
3 in the section on
class numbers below.
where .
where
[Hardy & Wright, § 20.13]
Define the function as
That is, if ''n'' is odd, is the sum of the ''k''th powers of the divisors of ''n'', that is, and if ''n'' is even it is the sum of the ''k''th powers of the even divisors of ''n'' minus the sum of the ''k''th powers of the odd divisors of ''n''.
:
Adopt the convention that Ramanujan's if ''x'' is not an integer.
:
Divisor sum convolutions
Here "convolution" does not mean "Dirichlet convolution" but instead refers to the formula for the coefficients of the
product of two power series:
:
The sequence
is called the
convolution or the
Cauchy product of the sequences ''a''
''n'' and ''b''
''n''.
These formulas may be proved analytically (see
Eisenstein series) or by elementary methods.
:
[Ramanujan, ''On Certain Arithmetical Functions'', Table IV; ''Papers'', p. 146]
:
[Koblitz, ex. III.2.8]
:
:
:
where ''τ''(''n'') is Ramanujan's function.
Since ''σ''
''k''(''n'') (for natural number ''k'') and ''τ''(''n'') are integers, the above formulas can be used to prove congruences for the functions. See
Ramanujan tau function for some examples.
Extend the domain of the partition function by setting
:
This recurrence can be used to compute ''p''(''n'').
Class number related
Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet discovered formulas that relate the class number ''h'' of
quadratic number fields to the Jacobi symbol.
An integer ''D'' is called a fundamental discriminant if it is the
discriminant
In mathematics, the discriminant of a polynomial is a quantity that depends on the coefficients and allows deducing some properties of the roots without computing them. More precisely, it is a polynomial function of the coefficients of the origi ...
of a quadratic number field. This is equivalent to ''D'' ≠ 1 and either a) ''D'' is
squarefree and ''D'' ≡ 1 (mod 4) or b) ''D'' ≡ 0 (mod 4), ''D''/4 is squarefree, and ''D''/4 ≡ 2 or 3 (mod 4).
Extend the Jacobi symbol to accept even numbers in the "denominator" by defining the
Kronecker symbol:
Then if ''D'' < −4 is a fundamental discriminant
There is also a formula relating ''r''
3 and ''h''. Again, let ''D'' be a fundamental discriminant, ''D'' < −4. Then
Prime-count related
Let
be the ''n''th
harmonic number. Then
:
is true for every natural number ''n'' if and only if the
Riemann hypothesis
In mathematics, the Riemann hypothesis is the conjecture that the Riemann zeta function has its zeros only at the negative even integers and complex numbers with real part . Many consider it to be the most important unsolved problem in ...
is true.
The Riemann hypothesis is also equivalent to the statement that, for all ''n'' > 5040,
(where γ is the
Euler–Mascheroni constant). This is
Robin's theorem.
:
:
:
:
:
Menon's identity
In 1965
P Kesava Menon
Puliyakot Keshava Menon (1917 – 22 October 1979) was an Indian mathematician best known as Director of the Joint Cipher Bureau.
His sudden demise on 22 October 1979, ended active research in the areas of number theory, combinatorics, alg ...
proved
This has been generalized by a number of mathematicians. For example,
* B. Sury
* N. Rao
where ''a''
1, ''a''
2, ..., ''a''
''s'' are integers, gcd(''a''
1, ''a''
2, ..., ''a''
''s'', ''n'') = 1.
*
László Fejes Tóth where ''m''
1 and ''m''
2 are odd, ''m'' = lcm(''m''
1, ''m''
2).
In fact, if ''f'' is any arithmetical function
where
stands for Dirichlet convolution.
Miscellaneous
Let ''m'' and ''n'' be distinct, odd, and positive. Then the Jacobi symbol satisfies the law of
quadratic reciprocity:
Let ''D''(''n'') be the arithmetic derivative. Then the logarithmic derivative
See
Arithmetic derivative for details.
Let ''λ''(''n'') be Liouville's function. Then
:
and
:
Let ''λ''(''n'') be Carmichael's function. Then
:
Further,
:
See
Multiplicative group of integers modulo n and
Primitive root modulo n
In modular arithmetic, a number is a primitive root modulo if every number coprime to is congruent to a power of modulo . That is, is a ''primitive root modulo'' if for every integer coprime to , there is some integer for which ...
.
:
:
:
Note that
:
:
:
Compare this with
:
:
:
where ''τ''(''n'') is Ramanujan's function.
[Apostol, ''Modular Functions ...'', ch. 6 eq. 3]
First 100 values of some arithmetic functions
Notes
References
*
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*
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*
*
*
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*
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*
*
Further reading
*
External links
*
* Matthew Holden, Michael Orrison, Michael Varbl
Yet another Generalization of Euler's Totient Function* Huard, Ou, Spearman, and Williams
Elementary Evaluation of Certain Convolution Sums Involving Divisor Functions
* Dineva, Rosica
The Euler Totient, the Möbius, and the Divisor Functions* László Tóth
Menon's Identity and arithmetical sums representing functions of several variables
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