Related papers: Primes, Pi, and Irrationality Measure

For any prime $p$ and $\varepsilon>0$ we prove that for any sufficiently large positive odd integer $s$ at least $(c_p-\varepsilon) \sqrt{\frac{s}{\log s}}$ of the $p$-adic zeta values $\zeta_p(3),\zeta_p(5),\dots,\zeta_p(s)$ are…

In this small note, we provide an elementary proof of the fact that infinitely many odd zeta values are irrational. For the first time, this celebrated theorem been proven by Rivoal and Ball--Rivoal. The original proof uses highly…

In this short note, we give two proofs of the infinitude of primes via valuation theory and give a new proof of the divergence of the sum of prime reciprocals by Roth's theorem and Euler-Legendre's theorem for arithmetic progressions.

In 1737 Leonard Euler gave what we often now think of as a new proof, based on infinite series, of Euclid's theorem that there are infinitely many prime numbers. Our short paper uses a simple modification of Euler's argument to obtain new…

In $1735$ Euler \cite{1} proved that for each positive integer $k$, the series $\zeta(2k) = \sum_{\ell=1}^{\infty} \ell^{-2k}$ converges to a rational multiple of $\pi^{2k}$. Many demonstrations of this fact are now known, and Euler's…

An important component of Ap\'ery's proof that $\zeta (3)$ is irrational involves representing $\zeta (3)$ as the limit of the quotient of two rational solutions to a three-term recurrence. We present various approaches to such Ap\'ery…

In a spirit of Ap\'ery's proof of the irrationality of $\zeta(3)$, we construct a sequence $p_n/q_n$ of rational approximations to the $2$-adic zeta value $\zeta_2(5)$ which satisfy $0 < |\zeta_2(5)-p_n/q_n|_2 <…

We prove that a real number a greater than or equal to 2 is the irrationality exponent of some computable real number if and only if a is the upper limit of a computable sequence of rational numbers. Thus, there are computable real numbers…

The author proves that there are infinitely many primes $p$ such that $\| \alpha p - \beta \| < p^{-\frac{28}{87}}$, where $\alpha$ is an irrational number and $\beta$ is a real number. This sharpens a result of Jia (2000) and provides a…

We formalize a proof of the irrationality of $\zeta(3)$ in Lean 4, using Beukers' method. To support this, we extend the Lean mathematical library (Mathlib) by formalizing shifted Legendre polynomials and important results in analytic…

In 1845, Bertrand conjectured that twice any prime strictly exceeds the next prime. Tchebichef proved Bertrand's postulate in 1850. In 1934, Ishikawa proved a stronger result: the sum of any two consecutive primes strictly exceeds the next…

Let $p$ be an odd natural number $\ge 3$. Inspired by results from Euclid's {\em Elements}, we express the irrational $$y=\sqrt[p]{d+\sqrt R}, $$ whose degree is $2p$, as a polynomial function of irrationals of degrees $\le p$. In certain…

In this paper, we are going to prove a famous problem concerning prime numbers. Bertrand postulate states that there is always a prime p with n < p < 2n, if n > 1. Bertrand postulate is not a newer one to be proven, in fact, after his…

Available proofs of result of the type 'at least one of the odd zeta values $\zeta(5),\zeta(7),\dots,\zeta(s)$ is irrational' make use of the saddle-point method or of linear independence criteria, or both. These two remarkable techniques…

Prime numbers play a key role in number theory and have applications beyond Mathematics. In particular, in the Theory of Codes and also in Cryptography, the properties of prime numbers are relevant, because, from them, it is possible to…

Inspired by the proof of the Bertrand postulate given by P. Erd\H{o}S, we carefully examine and solve one less usual inequality in positive integers which could help to find an arithmetically pure proof that for every positive integer…

To account for the first proof of existence of an irrational magnitude, historians of science as well as commentators of Aristotle refer to the texts on the incommensurability of the diagonal in Prior Analytics, since they are the most…

Let $\omega(n)$ denote the number of distinct prime factors of $n$. Assuming a suitably uniform version of the prime $k$-tuples conjecture, we show that the number \begin{align*} \sum_{n=1}^\infty \frac{\omega(n)}{2^n} \end{align*} is…

As rewards of reading two great papers of Hermite from 1873, we trace the historical origin of the integral Niven used in his well-known proof of the irrationality of $\pi$, uncover a rarely acknowledged simple proof by Hermite of the…

We examine Euclid's lemma that if $p$ is a prime number such that $p | ab$, then $p$ divides at least one of $a$ or $b$. Specifically, we consider the common misapplication of this lemma to numbers that are not prime, as is often made by…