Sum of number of divisors of first N natural numbers

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between the sum of divisors function σ(N) and the number of divisors function τ(N) for the first N natural numbers. Participants explore whether these sums can be computed without factorizing the individual numbers in the sequence.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the possibility of calculating the sum of σ(N) and τ(N) for the first N natural numbers without factorization.
  • Another participant suggests calculating these values up to N=100, indicating that it can be done using a computer.
  • A participant mentions having written functions in the form of series for τ(N) and σ(N) without factorization but expresses uncertainty about their correctness and seeks references in mathematical literature.
  • One participant explains the necessity of prime decomposition for calculating τ(n) and σ(n), detailing the relationship between divisors and their prime factors.
  • A participant requests a programming algorithm to compute τ(N) specifically, indicating a need for practical implementation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the need for prime factorization to compute τ(n) and σ(n), but there is no consensus on the feasibility of calculating these sums without factorization or on the correctness of the proposed series methods.

Contextual Notes

Some limitations include the dependence on prime factorization for accurate calculations and the unresolved correctness of the series methods proposed by participants.

suchith
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If σ(N) is the sum of all the divisors of N and τ(N) is the number of divisors of N then what is the sum of sum of all the divisors of first N natural numbers and the sum of the number of divisors of first N natural numbers?

Is there any relation between σ(N) and τ(N) functions?

Can I do that without factorizing any of the number in the sequence?
 
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Have you tried calculating those yourself up to, say, N= 100?
 
HallsofIvy said:
Have you tried calculating those yourself up to, say, N= 100?
Of course I have using my computer. I don't remember the result now. I have tried for both. Well! Using computer it is not a big job.

But can I find it out without listing the factors or factorizing individual numbers?

Avoiding factorization is the goal. I wrote these functions in the form of series, for sum of tau function in the form of infinite series without factorization, and for sum of sigma function it is a finite series. I have written the proof by myself, but don't know about the correctness. Is there anything to find the sum in the mathematical literature?
 
You can explicitly calculate ##\sigma(n)## and ##\tau(n)##, but you will need the prime decomposition of ##n##, say ##n = \prod_{i=1}^N p_i^{r_i}##.

The positive divisors of ##n## are ##\text{Div}(n)=\{ p_1^{q_1} \times ... \times p_N^{q_N},\ 0\le q_i \le r_i,\ i = 1...N \}##

There is an obvious bijection between ##\text{Div}(n)## and ## \{ q_1,\ 0\le q_1 \le r_1\} \times ... \times\{ q_N,\ 0\le q_N \le r_N\} ## which contains ##\prod_{i = 1}^N (1+r_i)## elements.

So ##\tau(n) = \#\text{Div}(n) = \prod_{i = 1}^N (1+r_i)##

And ##\sigma(n) = \sum_{q_1 = 0 }^{r_1}...\sum_{q_N = 0}^{r_N} p_1^{q_1} \times ... \times p_N^{q_N} = \prod_{i=1}^N \sum_{q_i = 0}^{r_i} {p_i}^{q_i} = \prod_{i=1}^N \frac{1 - p_i^{r_i+1}}{1-p_i}##
 
@geoffrey159 and @Suchit I do understand how to calculate τ(n) but didn't get how to calculate τ(N). I will highly appreciate if someone can give the programming algorithm for the problem.
 

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