English

On the Algebraic Independence of a Set of Generalized Constants

Number Theory 2025-08-26 v3 Classical Analysis and ODEs Complex Variables

Abstract

Neither the Euler-Mascheroni constant, γ=0.577215\gamma=0.577215\ldots, nor the Euler-Gompertz constant, δ=0.596347\delta=0.596347\ldots, is currently known to be irrational. However, it has been proved that these two numbers are disjunctively transcendental; that is, at least one of them must be transcendental. The two constants are related through a well-known equation of Hardy, which recently has been generalized to a pair of infinite sequences (γ(n),δ(n))(\gamma^{\left(n\right)},\delta^{\left(n\right)}) based on moments of the Gumbel(0,1) probability distribution. In the present work, we demonstrate the algebraic independence of the set {γ(n)+δ(n)/e}n0\{\gamma^{\left(n\right)}+\delta^{\left(n\right)}/e\}_{n\geq0}, and thus the transcendence of γ(n)+δ(n)/e\gamma^{\left(n\right)}+\delta^{\left(n\right)}/e for all n0n\geq0. This further implies the disjunctive transcendence of both pairs (γ(n),δ(n)/e)(\gamma^{\left(n\right)},\delta^{\left(n\right)}/e) and (γ(n),δ(n))(\gamma^{\left(n\right)},\delta^{\left(n\right)}) for all n1n\geq1.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2508.12123,
  title  = {On the Algebraic Independence of a Set of Generalized Constants},
  author = {Michael R. Powers},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2508.12123},
  year   = {2025}
}