English

A remark on partial sums involving the Mobius function

Number Theory 2009-10-05 v5

Abstract

Let <>N<\P > \subset \N be a multiplicative subsemigroup of the natural numbers N={1,2,3,...}\N = \{1,2,3,...\} generated by an arbitrary set \P of primes (finite or infinite). We given an elementary proof that the partial sums n<>:nxμ(n)n\sum_{n \in < \P >: n \leq x} \frac{\mu(n)}{n} are bounded in magnitude by 1. With the aid of the prime number theorem, we also show that these sums converge to p(11p)\prod_{p \in \P} (1 - \frac{1}{p}) (the case when \P is all the primes is a well-known observation of Landau). Interestingly, this convergence holds even in the presence of non-trivial zeroes and poles of the associated zeta function ζ(s):=p(11ps)1\zeta_\P(s) := \prod_{p \in \P} (1-\frac{1}{p^s})^{-1} on the line {(s)=1}\{\Re(s)=1\}. As equivalent forms of the first inequality, we have nx:(n,P)=1μ(n)n1|\sum_{n \leq x: (n,P)=1} \frac{\mu(n)}{n}| \leq 1, nN:nxμ(n)n1|\sum_{n|N: n \leq x} \frac{\mu(n)}{n}| \leq 1, and nxμ(mn)n1|\sum_{n \leq x} \frac{\mu(mn)}{n}| \leq 1 for all m,x,N,P1m,x,N,P \geq 1.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.0908.4323,
  title  = {A remark on partial sums involving the Mobius function},
  author = {Terence Tao},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0908.4323},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

7 pages, no figures. To appear, Bull. Aust. Math. Soc. Minor corrections

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