An elementary problem equivalent to the Riemann hypothesis

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around an elementary problem that is proposed to be equivalent to the Riemann Hypothesis. It explores the relationship between harmonic numbers and divisor sums, as well as the implications of this equivalence for understanding the Riemann Hypothesis.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant presents a formulation involving harmonic numbers and divisor sums, suggesting that proving a specific inequality for all n is equivalent to the Riemann Hypothesis.
  • Another participant references a related result concerning the sum of divisors and its connection to the Riemann Hypothesis, citing a specific paper for further reading.
  • A participant corrects a notation error in the expression for harmonic numbers, emphasizing the importance of clarity in mathematical communication.
  • One participant expresses skepticism about the utility of the problem, suggesting that while it is beautiful, it may be more problematic than the Riemann Hypothesis itself.
  • Another participant mentions other equivalences that could be considered elementary, hinting at broader connections to number theory and the Riemann Hypothesis.
  • There are requests for clarification from participants who find the discussion complex and challenging to understand.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the significance and utility of the proposed problem. While some appreciate its beauty, others question its practical relevance. There is no consensus on the implications of the problem or its equivalence to the Riemann Hypothesis.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note the complexity of the problem and the challenges in calculating the sum of divisors for large n, indicating that there are unresolved aspects regarding the feasibility of the proposed equivalence.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those studying number theory, particularly in relation to the Riemann Hypothesis and its implications for harmonic numbers and divisor functions.

benorin
Science Advisor
Insights Author
Messages
1,442
Reaction score
191
Let [tex]H_{n}=\sum_{k=1}^{n}\frac{1}{k}[/tex] be the nth harmonic number, then the Riemann hypothesis is equivalent to proving that for each [tex]n\geq 1[/tex],

[tex]\sum_{d|n}d\leq H_{n}+\mbox{exp}(H_{n})\log H_{n}[/tex]​

where equality holds iff n=1. The paper that this came from is here: An Elementary Problem Equivalent to the Riemann Hypothesis by Jeffrey C. Lagarias.

No questions, just thought it would be appreciated.
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
I don't understand... explain! This thread made my haed hurt!
 
This is based on [itex]\sigma(n) = \sum_{d|n}d < e^{\gamma} n \log \log n[/itex] for all [itex]n >= 5041[/itex] being logically equivalent to the Riemann Hypothesis as shown in
Guy Robin, Grandes valeurs de la fonction somme des diviseurs et hypoth`ese de Riemann,J. Math. Pures Appl. (9) 63 (1984), 187–213.
See also: http://arxiv.org/abs/math.NT/0604314
 
Last edited:
[tex]H_{n}=\sum{k=1}^{n}\frac{1}{k}[/tex]
should be
[tex]H_n= \sum_{k=1}^{n}\frac{1}{k}[/tex]
 
-Beatiful problem..but completely useless...:frown: :frown: the problem itself is even more problematic than RH..since you can calculate every Harmonic Number (approximately) the problem is to calculate:

[tex]\sum_{d|n} d[/tex] for every n even for n big.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
There are other equivalences that can be considered 'elementary', the error term in prime number theorem, bounds for the sum of the moebius function..

This one is nice quite nice though. I wonder if there's any connection between the height of the first zero off the line and the smallest counterexample to this criterea (assuming false of course).

cracker said:
I don't understand... explain! This thread made my haed hurt!

It's hard to know where to start on such an open question. There are lots of threads on the Riemann Hypothesis, try doing a search for them. What specific things are bothering you?
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 0 ·
Replies
0
Views
3K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
5K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
7K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
4K